Temporary Internal Migrations in Spain, 1860–1930

Abstract

Nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century industrialization provoked quantitative and qualitative changes in traditional European migratory patterns. Most of the economic and social history literature concerning the study of European internal migration during the industrializing period has emphasized permanent migration. This article shows, however, that temporary internal migration was common not only in preindustrial societies but in industrializing ones too. The article also examines the causes and the consequences of the persistence of temporary internal migrations in Spain from the mid-nineteenth century to the period leading up to the outbreak of the Spanish civil war (1936–39). Aggregate data sources are used in depth for this purpose. The information derived from aggregate sources is supplemented by reference to secondary sources, mainly comprising local and regional studies.

The determinants of industrial location in Spain, 1856–1929

“…Internal migrations remained at very low levels until the 1920s, when the economic growth of the Spanish economy and industrialisation opened up new opportunities for workers (Erdozáin and Mikelarena, 1996;Silvestre, 2005) 8 . In addition, Silvestre (2007) has emphasized the relevance of temporary internal migrations over the period . International migration also rose notably in the first decade of the 20 th century and up to World War I, although it came to a halt in the interwar years with the 'globalization backlash' (Sánchez-Alonso, 2000).…”

Climate variability and human migration in the Netherlands, 1865–1937

“…It is often posited that the primary motivations for migration were economic (Whyte 2008), with individuals moving to seek upward socioeconomic mobility (Long 2005) or as a coping strategy during times of hardship (Kok, Mandemakers & Wals 2005). Temporary labor migration was also common (Kok 1997), whether as part of an age-structured pattern of life cycle service (Kussmaul 1981) or seasonal employment (Silvestre 2007). …”

The Long-Term Patterns of Regional Income Inequality in Spain, 1860–2000

“…What could account for these differences? We believe that two factors were involved: the large differences in relative land endowments and climate across Spanish regions and that we did not consider temporary labor migrations across regions, which were very important during harvest periods (Silvestre, 2007). The relative importance of different sectors varied after 1910 and until 1930, when industry became the main contributing sector to the within component.…”