Andalusian wool and American cotton. Prolegomena to the industrialisation process in Andalusia

Abstract

The aim of this article is to explore, using bibliographic sources, the role played by raw materials – wool and cotton, mainly – in the failure of the first steps of the Andalucia industrialisation process at the end of the 18th century. Andalucia having access to high quality wool and Cadiz being the arrival port in Spain of raw cotton coming from America, the question that emerges is why did the textile factories created in this region have not success? Concerning the wool industry, we can find the answer for its decline in the massive exports favoured by the government for fiscal reasons. In the case of the cotton industry, the reason for the lack of success came from the high prices of American raw cotton in Cadiz due to the high transport costs and a disadvantageous exchange rate, and its low quality coming from a lack of technical preparation.