Rise and fall of the agricultural tractor manufacturing and distribution sector in Spain (1950-1994)

Abstract

The main aim of the article is to analyze the evolution of the manufacturing’s and distribution sector of agricultural tractors in Spain (1950-1994). We analyze different com­panies, manufacturers and distributors to understand the role of supply in the framework of the great technological changes of agriculture industrialization during the Franco dictator­ship, the transition and the first years of democracy in Spain. We start from an approach developed from agrarian history, although combining perspectives with industrial and business history, to analyze the different strategies of companies and multinationals in the sector, the state regulatory framework and the demand for tractors. For the elaboration of the article, we resorted to sources generated by the State administration, internal documentation of companies, informative magazines and, also, to the oral source.