Industry and Labour Conflicts in Spain. The Textile Industry, 1914-1923

Abstract

This article studies the labour strikes that took place in Spain from 1914-1923, one of the most important cycles of social unrest in the first third of the 20th century. The paper asserts that the strike activity was concentrated in specific regions and sectors. It presents indicators of the number of strikers relative to the number of workers employed across all sectors during this period, and thus underlines the undeniable impact of the conflict in manufacturing and, especially, the textile industry. Next, it attempts an analysis of these industrial disputes through the study of three components: business structure and the markets, the growth of unionism, and the interventionism of the state. The complex interaction of these factors led to extensive conflict in the textile industry, which ultimately provoked significant changes in working conditions in the sector.