Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Paying for the Liberal State
- Introduction: Paying for the Liberal State
- 1 Creating Legitimacy: Administering Taxation in Britain, 1815–1914
- 2 The Development of Public Finance in the Netherlands, 1815–1914
- 3 The Apogee and Fall of the French Rentier Regime, 1801–1914
- 4 The Evolution of Public Finances in Nineteenth-Century Germany
- 5 Public Finance in Austria-Hungary, 1820–1913
- 6 The Rise of the Fiscal State in Sweden, 1800–1914
- 7 Always on the Brink: Piedmont and Italy
- 8 Public Finance and the Rise of the Liberal State in Spain, 1808–1914
- 9 Public Finance in Portugal, 1796–1910
- 10 Conclusion: The Monetary, Fiscal, and Political Architecture of Europe, 1815–1914
- Index
- References
8 - Public Finance and the Rise of the Liberal State in Spain, 1808–1914
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Paying for the Liberal State
- Introduction: Paying for the Liberal State
- 1 Creating Legitimacy: Administering Taxation in Britain, 1815–1914
- 2 The Development of Public Finance in the Netherlands, 1815–1914
- 3 The Apogee and Fall of the French Rentier Regime, 1801–1914
- 4 The Evolution of Public Finances in Nineteenth-Century Germany
- 5 Public Finance in Austria-Hungary, 1820–1913
- 6 The Rise of the Fiscal State in Sweden, 1800–1914
- 7 Always on the Brink: Piedmont and Italy
- 8 Public Finance and the Rise of the Liberal State in Spain, 1808–1914
- 9 Public Finance in Portugal, 1796–1910
- 10 Conclusion: The Monetary, Fiscal, and Political Architecture of Europe, 1815–1914
- Index
- References
Summary
Introduction
The wars and political changes that took place prior to 1840 created serious problems for the Spanish Treasury. Spain was affected by the Napoleonic Wars (War of Independence 1808–14) and by the subsequent restoration of the absolutist monarchy under Fernando VII. After General Riego's revolutionary uprising in 1820, Fernando VII was forced to swear fidelity to the Constitution of 1812 and thus became a constitutional monarch for three years during the so-called constitutional triennium (1820–3). A new absolutist coup in 1823, with the help of another French invasion, also called ‘the hundred thousand sons of St. Louis’, led to a second restoration of the ancien régime under Fernando VII and a period of absolutist stability known as the ominous decade. The death of Fernando VII was followed by widespread war, in the form of the First Carlist War (1833–40). The long transition from an absolutist regime to a liberal state was decided during these conflicts, which seriously affected fiscal issues. In this period, Spain lost a large empire and became a second-rate European power. Once Spain lost its colonies, it no longer received bullion remittances from the Americas and came to rely on its own revenues. Nevertheless, public expenditure increased more than receipts did, thereby raising the deficit and the public debt to alarming levels.
The end of the First Carlist War in 1840 consolidated the liberal state and allowed for greater political stability.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Paying for the Liberal StateThe Rise of Public Finance in Nineteenth-Century Europe, pp. 214 - 250Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010
References
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