When Spain became the first world power

Spanish thought owes much to Antonio García Alix, a statesman closely associated with Maura’s ideas. On the one hand, links forever, with the Spanish administration of the great economist Flores de Lemus; And, on the other hand, that, as Minister of Public Administration, he decided, by Royal Decree of 18 February 1901, the definitive merger of a series of geographical studies societies into a single entity officially called the Royal Geographical Society. Out of that “an amount to support it” will be sent annually to the state budget.

Thanks to him, the immense importance of a Spanish ship circling the world for the first time was reflected. Spain – and it helped greatly that Felipe II also became King of Portugal – became the first existing global political power. Thanks to contributions to this issue of the Bulletin of the Royal Geographical Society, we go on to find out what needed changes were in our homeland.

The director of its editorial board, Antonio Zarate Martín, gives us a clear idea of ​​the spectacular transformation the peninsula has seen since that time. Let us see what Zarate alludes to Seville, a cosmopolitan and cosmopolitan city, with an important commercial base, supported by a port, thanks to a large presence of Genoese, Florentines and Germans, and which, “16th century During the U.S., became one of the main European cities, when the center of activity moved from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, with new trade routes to the east and west, opened by the Portuguese and the Spanish» (p. 75). This new reality Seville, and the Mediterranean, affecting the entire Iberian Peninsula, including Valencia. Fernando Arroyo in his article Valencia and the Mediterranean during the first voyage around the world, showed a very new situation as a result of the fall of Constantinople into the hands of the Turks. Thus, we Let’s see how this new global connection is having an increasing impact on our Mediterranean, with Valencia as the capital (p. 117), “the great disparity in the distribution of the benefits of economic development generated in the city and, as well, from the municipal government to the popular classes.” boycott, which Lean class and inbred elites were given monopoly power, all with “great arrogance, administrative corruption in large municipalities and tensions among the peasantry”.

Let us also not forget what Lisbon has meant since the reign of Felipe II, as defended by José Manuel García of the Lisbon Geography Society in his article Significance of Lisbon in the time of Fernando de Magalhose, where the transformation of Lisbon into a major point of connection between Europe, Africa and Asia is shown, which automatically, on account of its income from the situation, causes an extraordinary economic progress, for which the link with the Portuguese capital— Thanks with Tagus River- Toledo. M. Antonio Zarate Martin, on pages. 125–217 highlights the attempt to navigate the Tagus from Toledo to Lisbon, which would have changed the Spanish economy in an extraordinary way. He proves this by pointing out that “the representatives of the Courts of Toledo supported and defended the project, while the Attorneys of Seville were vehemently opposed, fearing the economic loss that Seville’s replacement for Lisbon would be in the Indies.” may be involved in the business of.” (p. 202).

Let us mention the effect this whole new position of Madrid had on Spain as the political center of Spain. The current reality that Madrid has, initially depends on the role of the court and Philip II’s decision to make it the capital. After reading this section, the possibility arises that a navigable Tagus would have created an entirely different economic panorama for central Spain.

Let us also take a look at what was happening in Burgos. Concepcion Waiter Bullon, in The Capital of Castile, Burgos, Ciudad de Mercaderas (pp. 315–350), points to the consequences of its relations with Europe: the increasing presence of the service sector, a generator of traffic closely associated with wool, as well as the presence of commercial and credit entities, which are linked to Flanders. , and they were strengthened by the support of the Salamanca economists and theologians, favorable to the collection of interest and, therefore, to a growing boom in credit.

That Spain, consolidated with the above around the world, would reach, by the end of the 18th century, a great power. We all know that, with the Industrial Revolution that arose in England, the existing center in Spain would be moved to a country that would have links to Seville and Lisbon, and in addition to Flanders, politically and economically, whatever the will be of sorts. What does the United States of America mean today?