PD:Història Econòmica d'Espanya

Teaching plan for the course unit

Català

English

General information

Course unit name: Economic History of Spain

Course unit code: 366728

Academic year: 2025-2026

Coordinator: Jordi Planas Maresma

Department: Department of Economic History, Institutions and Policy and World Economy

Credits: 6

Single program: S

Estimated learning time

Total number of hours 150

Face-to-face and/or online activities

	- Lecture with practical component	Face-to-face and online		45
	- Document study	Face-to-face and online		15

Supervised project

Independent learning

Recommendations

The objective of this subject is to analyse Spanish economic development within the framework of the evolution of contemporary world economics, which students have previously studied in the subject World Economic History. The intellectual approach required for this subject also proves useful in the courses on applied economics, economic policy, public treasury, international economics, statistics and econometrics.

Further recommendations

Full understanding of the subject also requires basic knowledge of the social and political history of modern Spain. Students are expected to have acquired this knowledge prior to the course; if this is not the case, they must make a concerted effort to develop a general understanding as the course progresses.

Competences / Learning outcomes to be gained during study

-	Capacity for learning and responsibility (capacity for analysis, synthesis, to adopt global perspectives and to apply knowledge in practice, and capacity to take decisions and adapt to new situations).
-	Communication skills (capacity to understand and produce spoken and written Catalan, Spanish and a third language, including the comprehension and use of specialized terminology, and capacity to research, use and integrate information in these languages).

Capacity to prepare, analyse and interpret economic information.

(Capacity to draw up, analyse and use financial information. This competence involves the following:
— Capacity to obtain, process and analyse data that lead to the presentation of internal and external financial information for public and private entities.
— Capacity to interpret a financial report for a financial entity.
— Capacity to correctly interpret graphs, financial indicators and their corresponding representations, and to issue written and oral reports.
— Capacity to interpret, analyse and carry out financial and investment operations.)

Understanding of the history and development of economic ideas and of current economic realities in different territorial settings.

Learning objectives

Referring to knowledge

Understand the growth and development of the contemporary Spanish economy and the key stages and factors of change in the Spanish economy over time.
Understand the economic, social and political problems related to the growth process and to institutional changes in contemporary Spain.
Apply comparative analysis to understand the problems in the Spanish economy from a European perspective, and relative to other regions of the world, identifying the similarities and differences in each case.

Referring to abilities, skills

Learn to interpret historical data, with the help of graphs, tables, maps, and related texts.
Develop a critical approach to the interpretation of economic development in Spain, posing questions and using language skills, cogent reasoning and the tools of the economist to answer them.
Retrieve information to back up an argument and explain the underlying reasoning clearly, both orally and in writing.

Referring to attitudes, values and norms

Develop an open-minded approach in seeking answers to the current economic problems of Spain and other countries around the world.
Show a willingness to tackle complex issues and apply critical thinking.
Develop a flexible attitude that allows for constructive criticism founded on academic rigour, showing the same flexibility in accepting constructive criticism.

Teaching blocks

1. The long-term evolution of the Spanish economy (1800–2000)

1.1. Population

1.2. Product

1.3. Degree of openness

2. The crisis of the Ancient Régime

2.1. Structural problems and regional discrepancies

2.2. The fall of the treasury of the absolute monarchy

2.3. Disintegration of the colonial empire

3. The liberal revolution

3.1. The liberal agrarian reform: ecclesiastical confiscations and the new structure of territorial property

3.2. The failure of fiscal reform: budget deficit and debt

3.3. Currency, banking and capital markets

3.4. Transport problems and the construction of railways

4. Trends of agrarian growth during the nineteenth century

4.1. Extensive growth of agrarian production

4.2. Regional specialization

4.3. The agricultural crisis of the late nineteenth century

5. The start of industrialization

5.1. The energy problem

5.2. Consumer goods industry

5.3. The difficulties facing heavy industry

6. Foreign trade (1820–1891)

6.1. Commercial policy

6.2. Evolution of foreign trade

6.3. Exporting sectors of the economy

7. A slow divergence (1891–1914)

7.1. Agricultural protectionism and industrial protectionism

7.2. Agriculture: emerging from the agrarian crisis

7.3. Industry: beginning of the second technological revolution, growth and sectoral diversification

8. The Spanish economy between the wars (1914–1936)

8.1. The impact of the First World War

8.2. Growth and structural change during the Primo de Rivera dictatorship

8.3. The Spanish economy during the Second Republic: class struggle and social reformism

9. Autarky and poverty during the early years of the Franco regime (1936–1959)

9.1. The Civil War and the problem of post-war recovery

9.2. Autarky and interventionism in the 1940s

9.3. The growth of the 1950s

10. Consolidation of the industrial economy (1959–1975)

10.1. The stabilization plan and reintegration into the world economy

10.2. Accelerated industrialization and modernization of agriculture

10.3. Economic liberalization and problems with the model

11. Economic crisis and political transition (1975–1985)

11.1. The impact of the oil crisis on the Spanish economy

11.2. Fiscal reform and the development of the welfare state

11.3. Economic crisis and industrial conversion

12. Integration into the European Union and economic recovery (1985–2000)

12.1. Structural reforms and integration into the European Union

12.2. Transition to the single currency

12.3. The effects of integration: evolution of the Spanish economy post-1986

Teaching methods and general organization

Two types of face-to-face classes are used: lectures with a practical component and group tutorials.

a) Lectures with a practical component consist of presentations of the theoretical and practical content outlined in the course plan and general class discussion.

b) Group tutorials address specific topics covered in class to clarify or expand on the students’ general knowledge of the subject, using different types of material for specific cases (texts, diagrams, tables, examples, etc.).

Lectures with a practical component are intended to provide students with general capacities for learning, responsibility and communication and the knowledge to interpret the evolution of the world around them, in line with the generic competences detailed in this course plan. Group tutorials, which may be held with half the group at a time depending on the number of students enrolled, involve practical exercises related to the material presented in class or assigned readings, and these may be assessable.

Students may be given the option of completing an individual or group assignment, to acquire more detailed knowledge of a specific topic from the course content. The assignment must be submitted in writing and presented to the rest of the class group.

Official assessment of learning outcomes

The content of lectures, group tutorials and independent learning activities including required reading are assessed as follows:

1. A compulsory final examination with five questions. Students must answer three questions. The examination is worth up to 6 points (the mark is worth 60% of the final grade). Students must obtain a mark of at least 2.5 to be eligible to pass the course.

2. A minimum of four exercises or practical tests set during the course. Each exercise is worth up to 1 point (40% of the final grade). Students must attend class on a regular basis in order to be eligible to complete the exercises and tests.

3. Among the exercises or practical examinations mentioned above, teachers may include other activities (such as an assignment or oral presentation, individually or in groups), to be worked on in class and independently, worth up to 1 point and which are taken into account when establishing the four best scores that will make up the grade for continuous assessment.

4. The assessment process is designed to verify that students have achieved the desired learning objectives and acquired the competences set out in the course plan.

5. Repeat assessment evaluates the degree to which the learning objectives have been achieved and is carried out in accordance with the procedure defined by the Faculty of Economics and Business.

6. The English-language group(s) follow(s) the procedure outlined in the points above. However, the oral and written continuous assessment activities must be completed in English, as well as the final examination.

Examination-based assessment

Students who would prefer to be assessed at the end of the course may request single assessment. The following conditions apply:

1. Students sit a compulsory final examination with five questions, with a maximum mark of 10 (100% of the final grade). Students must answer all of the questions.

2. The assessment process described in point 1 evaluates acquisition of the learning objectives, the generic competences for bachelor’s degree study at the UB and the specific competences detailed in this course plan.

3. Repeat assessment evaluates the degree to which the learning objectives have been achieved and is carried out in accordance with the procedure defined by the Faculty of Economics and Business.

4. The English-language group(s) follow(s) the procedure outlined in the points above. In this case, students must complete the examination in English.

Reading and study resources

Check availability in Cercabib

Book

CARRERAS, Albert; TAFUNELL, Xavier. Entre el imperio y la globalización. Historia económica de la España contemporánea. Barcelona: Planeta, 2018

Catàleg UB

CARRERAS, Albert; TAFUNELL, Xavier. Between Empire and Globalization. An Economic History of Modern Spain. Palgrave Macmillan, 2021

Catàleg UB