Economic History of Contemporary Spain

1. Semester
2022/2023

THE CORRELATION BETWEEN REPUBLIC AND

LIFE QUALITY

Author: Nahia Jauregui Baro

INDEX

1. INTRODUCTION 3
2. THEORETICAL THOUGHTS (HYPOTHESIS) 3
3. EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS 4
4. CONCLUSION 8
5. BIBLIOGRAPHY 8

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1. INTRODUCTION
As we already know, Spain had two republics over a long period. The First Spanish
Republic lasted from 1873 to 1874, until the monarchy was once again established. However,
the second one was from 1931 to 1939, which included the three years of civil war (1936-
1939). Before the Second Republic, from 1923 to 1930, Primo de Rivera’s dictatorship was
imposed. But with the end of the civil war, the republican front fell, and a dictatorship arrived.

The republican years were just a few, but there was a better life than the dictatorship?
Any improvement in education or health in those years? Did they get to have economic
growth? Did it increase the well-being of the Spaniards? To have the answers to this question
we will have to analyze and compare the data.

2. THEORETICAL THOUGHTS (HYPOTHESIS)

When we say well-being, we come up with different and numerous factors. We are just
going to analyze a few: education, health, salaries, and private consumption. In addition, I
must mention we are just going to focus on the years 1931 to 1935 of the republic. Since the
war broke out in 1936 it would not be logical to compare those years of destruction, decline,
and poverty. Moreover, we are going to examine the Primo De Rivera dictatorship (1923-1930)
and see if there is any change or evolution. So, in total, we are going to investigate the period
from 1923 to 1935.

Regarding, the data we are going to analyze for education is going to be the net stock
of years of schooling generations born between 1907 and 1983, which can show the number
of children and time of studies and the literacy rates which is the most basic thing on education.
On another side, national private consumption per capita will show the capacity of the families
they had to expend. Furthermore, effective wages in the industry per day, as well as real
agricultural wages per day, have been chosen as we can compare the evolution in salaries in
the two sectors. Finally, as regards health, life expectancy at birth and the evolution of crude
birth rates can show the improvement in health quality.

When we mention a republic, we say open-mindedness, and you can think about a
democratic country, which considered all the citizens and gave more liberty and freedom,
along with life quality. That's nearly the position of the republic that years, an improved state
with reform and measures focused on and improvements.

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 For these reasons, I believe we will see a growth in literacy rates and related to that a
rise in the schooling years for all educational degrees. Higher salaries in the agricultural sector,
industry, and in general. And about that, a higher purchase consumption per capita. Last but
not least, I reckon we will see a decline in mortality rates and an increase in birth rates.

At the same time, I think we can see stalled Spain, due to the fact with the fall of Primo
de Rivera’s dictatorship, the exile of King Alfonso XIII in 1931, and a period of political conflict
and reforms, that could have harmed the economic growth.

1. EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS

Net stock of years of schooling for

generations born between 1907 and 1983
4.000.000

3.000.000

2.000.000

1.000.000

Net stock of years of schooling for generations born between 1907 and
1983 Estimated total stock at 14, 19 and 24 years of age Total 14 years
Net stock of years of schooling for generations born between 1907 and
1983 Estimated total stock at 14, 19 and 24 years of age Total 19 years
Net stock of years of schooling for generations born between 1907 and
1983 Estimated total stock at 14, 19 and 24 years of age Total 24 years

(Tafunell, 2005)

Literacy rate from 6 to 20 years old

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1910 1920 1930 1940

Literacy rate from 6 to 20 years old From 6 to 10 years old

Literacy rate from 6 to 20 years old From 11 to 15 years old
Literacy rate from 6 to 20 years old From 16 to 20 years old

(Gabriel, 1997)

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 Firstly, literacy rates show a positive change in the number of literate children. It was a
growth in all the different years, reaching a good number of 51,68%, 81,6%, and 85,38%.
Which predominates, 16 to 20 years old teenagers.

As we can see the net stock of years of school generation fell during the dictatorship,
both in men and women from 3 million to 2.5 million, which is not the best but a considerable
number, considering, the poverty of the state, didn’t allow to have enough teachers, they were
low paid, not very qualified.

In addition, the demand for work made children have a job so early. However, there
was an improvement from 1932 onwards. The reason could be an investment and public
expenditure in education, not only in primary and secondary education but also in higher
education. In the end, we know it is essential to have qualified and specialized personnel in
jobs to have an evolution of growth in the economy. As has already been proven, an economy
with such cheap labor and backward technology does not allow for progress.

National private consumption per capita, 1910-

1940 (1958 pesetas) 1958 pesetas
14.000

12.000

10.000

8.000

6.000

4.000

2.000

(Tafunell, 2005)

Regarding the national private consumption per capita, it is maintained with ups and
downs both in the dictatorship and in the republic, although it has its highest peak in the year
1931 with the sum of 12807 pesetas.

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 Average effective wage in industry, 1920- 1940
(pesetas per day)
15 12
10
10 8
6
5 4
2
0 0

Average effective wage in industry, 1920- 1940 (pesetas per day)

Qualified workers
Average effective wage in industry, 1920- 1940 (pesetas per day)
Unqualified workers
Average effective wage in industry, 1920- 1940 (pesetas per day)
Weighted average

(Tafunell, 2005)

Real agricultural wage per day, 1920-1940

(1964 = 100)
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0

(Tafunell, 2005)

Concerning wages, on the one hand, we have the agrarian wages per day where we
can observe a notorious rise that is maintained until 1936 and amounts to 93,73. As we know
Spain’s economy was based on the first sector, so most families live based on that. That
growth could mean that that laborious job was starting to be well paid.

On the other hand, we obverse in the average effective wage in industry, 1920-1940
(pesetas per day) that qualified workers have a better salary, which is logical because they are
supposed to be more productive. Concerning the growth in wages, it is notorious for the
increase between 1931 to 1935, from 7,6 to 10,08, which is an increase of 32, 63%.

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 Evolution of crude birth and death rates in Spain
1920- 1940 (per thousand)
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

Evolution of crude birth and death rates in Spain 1920- 1940 (per thousand)
Birth rate
Evolution of crude birth and death rates in Spain 1920- 1940 (per thousand)
Death rate

(Tafunell, 2005)

Life expectancy at birth of the male, female and

total Spanish population, 1863-1998 (years and
tenths of years)
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1910 1920 1930 1940 1950
Life expectancy at birth of the male, female and total Spanish population, 1863-
1998 (years and tenths of years) Male
Life expectancy at birth of the male, female and total Spanish population, 1863-
1998 (years and tenths of years) Female
Life expectancy at birth of the male, female and total Spanish population, 1863-
1998 (years and tenths of years) Total

(Tafunell, 2005)

Concerning the birth and death rates, the rates decrease slowly every year until the
beginning of the war. They decrease at the same time, so the population has grown
approximately the same. In those decades some women had numerous jobs, and their families
were a bit smaller because children were used to helping in the familiar orchard and farms but
then it was less common. Regarding death rates, hygiene improvement and sanitary
conditions, made those rates to have decreased.

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 Finally, the life expectancy at birth increased from 1920 to 1930 and remained constant
for the next decade. As I have mentioned the reduction of disease and hygienic conditions
help children to have higher expectancy. And it also helped the women who gave birth.

4. CONCLUSION
To sum up, we can see a notorious improvement in education from 1920 to 1940.
However, the improvement was not only in the republic. It was also a slight growth in the
national consumption per capita full of ups and downs bat the higher point was reached in the
first years of the republic. In wages, it was an increase in both sectors. And finally, in health
topic, there is also a betterment.

Nevertheless, we cannot confirm if there is any relation the well-being and republic or
if it’s just the evolution and the passage of time that tends to have progressed in life quality.
As we have seen there is not only a growth in life quality in the republic but also in the
dictatorship of Primo the Rivera, although, we can check that the improvement in life quality is
higher from 1931 to 1936. In the end, we cannot corroborate if the republic involves a
betterment in citizen life.

5. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gabriel, N. d. (1997). Alfabetización y escolarización en España (1887-1950). In Revista de

educación n.314 (pp. 217- 243). Madrid.
Tafunell, A. C. (2005). Estadísticas históricas de España Siglos XIX- XX. Bilbao: Editorial
Nerea, S. A.