I. - MATERIALS AND POWER
mineral raw materials are extracted from the earth's crust. The continued exploitation of the abundant mineral resources españoles, iniciada por los fenicios, griegos, cartagineses y romanos, ha provocado desde fines del s. XIX que la mayor parte de los filones se hayan agotado. En muchos casos los filones son de baja calidad, difícil extracción y poca rentabilidad.
Los minerales metálicos se utilizan en las industrias básicas, metalurgia y química, y en las industrias de transformación. Destacan los minerales de hierro (extraído de los yacimientos cantábricos del sistema Ibérico y del sistema Bético), plomo (Sierra Morena), piritas (Rio Tinto), cinc (Cantabria y País Vasco), cobre (Rio Tinto), mercurio (Almadén, Ciudad Real), wolframio y estaño (Extremadura, Salamanca, A Coruña).
Non-metallic minerals are used in the construction and chemical industry. Outstanding kaolin, quartz, clay, rock salt, sea salt, potassium salt, feldspar, magnesite and phosphates are scattered throughout the territory.
industrial rocks, limestone, granite, slate, marble and gypsum used in construction.
energy sources are natural resources are exploited for energy used in industrial applications preferred. According to its formation may be non-renewable energy (exhausted when used for producir energía: carbón, nuclear, petróleo o gas natural) o energías renovables (también llamadas energías alternativas, son inagotables porque no desaparecen al producir energía: agua, sol, aire).
El carbón fue la fuente de energía básica desde la primera revolución industrial, hasta que en el siglo XX se sustituyó por el petróleo. La producción y el consumo industrial y doméstico han descendido por las dificultades de extracción (minas subterráneas y vetas no continuas). La producción se localiza en Asturias, León, Palencia, Ciudad Real y Córdoba. La entrada en la Unión Europea obligó a un plan reconversión by the liberalization of prices that put at a disadvantage the English coal mining sector compared to Europe more competitive and a better quality ore.
In modest quantities oil extracted from fields near Valladolid and Burgos natural gas in the Basque Country (The Seagull), in the marshes of Huelva and the Aragonese Pyrenees (Seraglio), and finally uranium in Lleida. In all these cases the production is very limited and must import large quantities to meet domestic demand.
Alternative energies are enhanced because they are polluting and can contribute to energy self-sufficiency. These energies renewable energy include hydro (falling water reservoir moves turbines that convert mechanical power into electricity), solar energy (using heat and sunlight, with applications in domestic heating, hot water, steam and electricity) wind power (through generators transform the wind into mechanical energy or electric), energy from biomass (organic waste uses, agriculture, livestock, forestry and industrial), geothermal (using hot rocks and underground water for steam or hot water) and tidal energy (energy obtained with tidal).
electricity production, increased since 1960, is obtained from hydropower, thermal and nuclear.
II .- SECONDARY SECTOR: INDUSTRY
The secondary or industrial sector transforms raw materials or semi-finished products produced using an energy source. The industrial revolution started in England over century XVIII, was developed in the s. XIX in France, Germany and Belgium so that the four were fully industrialized countries at the end of s. XIX. United States promoted the industrialization until the end of the Civil War (1861-1865). The progress of English industry, slower, has gone through different historical periods and diverse industrial location.
III .- THE PROCESS OF INDUSTRIALIZATION IN SPAIN
1 .- Start of industrialization: the nineteenth century
Spain joined the industrial process more slowly than some countries Western Europe because of the difficulty of implementing the liberal system, both politically and economically. Although there were raw materials (cotton, iron and coal), textile factories in Catalonia, steel industries in the Basque Country, the railroad had a major industrial development and increased significantly the financial sector, these economic only be developed in small areas the country, contributing to not be created a large domestic market, conditioned by the low purchasing power of peasants and workers with a standard of living that allowed them to survive. The bourgeoisie has invested little in industries and even less in the modernization of the country probably due to the low political stability, manifest in the War of Independence (1808-1814), the loss of the American colonies, the three Carlist Wars (1833-1839, 1846-1849, 1872-1876 ), the continuous uprisings and military coups that change governments crumbled as done by previous governments and ordered changes that did not favor an appropriate climate for investment.
Despite these problems, the economic situation will improve with political stability achieved during the Bourbon Restoration (1875-1902). The economic protectionism will support the consolidation of an emerging market but with backward technology, investment by domestic and foreign capital, the predominance rural population on urban areas. The industrial centers are located in Andalusia, taking advantage of mineral deposits, especially important were the blast furnaces of Malaga, which ended up closing for lack of fuel and competition from other active areas as the blast furnaces of Biscay where the steel industry concentrated increased from 1880. Other economic foci were Barcelona and Madrid. Barcelona with the powerful textile industry and cotton wool to allow the development of chemical and metallurgical industries; Madrid was consolidated as a financial and administrative systems, consumer goods industries by increasing the population.
2 .- industrial growth in the first third of the twentieth century
; industrial progress must the increase of population in cities of the Cantabrian region (Asturias, Basque Country), Catalonia and Madrid that power consumption and promote economic investments of the bourgeoisie, it has repatriated capital of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines, lost in 1898.
During the First World War (1914-1918) kept disputing countries an industry of war and Spain, neutral, getting benefits exports to European countries and capital inflows. As the gains are not invested in modernizing the machinery, the English technology was obsolete after the war, European countries stopped buying goods starting an economic crisis.
In the twenties the installation of multinational companies (Nestle, Standard Electric ) and, especially, recovery and prosperity economy during the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera with the policy of public works, industrial protectionism and electrification of railways and industry, improved living standards and encouraged the development of various industries, mainly located in the periphery. Steel stand in the Cantabrian fringe, the installation of blast furnaces in Valencia, chemical, electrical equipment, cement, mechanical processing and consumer goods industries. While falls and industrial center Andalusian consolidate Catalonia, Madrid, Asturias, Valencia and the Basque Country.
3 .- Stagnation during the civil war and its aftermath (1936-1959)
Civil War (1936-1939) and the Second World War (1939-1945) dramatically slowed the manufacturing process. During the postwar period of international isolation (1939-1951) Spain lived in penury, with an autarkic economy and state interventionism, without essential commodities such as oil or rubber, with no production or trade. Among the measures taken include improving farms organized National Institute of Colonization, the regulation of grain production with the founding of the National Wheat and support the industry with the creation in 1941, the Instituto Nacional de Industria (INI). The Cold War between the USSR and the United States will strengthen the Franco regime starting to insulation giving insulation to the economic blockade.
The events that marked the change international attitude, lessening the isolation, were the normalization of diplomatic relations between Spain and the Western powers, the U.S. approach, the cancellation of UN sanctions against Spain in 1950 and the admission of the FAO ( 1951).
The full international recognition of the regime and support for their stay are consolidated in 1953 with the signing of the Concordat with the Holy See and Agreements Hispanic-American over the claims of private U.S. banks, and the Pact of Madrid with all three aspects of financial aid, support for mutual defense and supply of military equipment. Spain was admitted in 1953 at UNESCO and the UN in 1955. The economic situation changed beginning a period of rapid industrial expansion that caused inflation (1954-1956), manifested in the depletion of foreign exchange and rising prices and wages. This was the time of migration from the countryside to the city, the irrigation policy with the construction of reservoirs, the booming construction industry and due to the economic crisis, the emergence of social unrest 1956. In 1957 established technocrats and economists adjustment measures, including freezing of wages, preestabilización price and trade liberalization leading to the Stabilization Plan of 1959. Admission to the International Monetary Fund IMF (1958) was a wise decision in the context of economic policy tended to liberalization. Companies, driven by INI, were the steel, shipbuilding, refineries and petrochemicals. In the fifties, there are numerous private companies that exceed the production of the public.
4 .- Economic Development (1959-1975)
The Stabilization Plan of 1959 was marked by a series of measures that made competitiveness of the English economy aligned in the European Monetary System, combining price stability, economic development and balance of the balance of payments. Technical improvement, capital goods, foreign capital investment, remittances from migrants, foreign tourists and left by stepping into the industrialization process English economy integrated into world capitalism placing since 1960, ranked tenth-industrial power.
Most industrial activity is centered in the steel, cement and building materials, electricity, shipbuilding, automobiles and appliances. The per capita income or per capita reached unprecedented levels, similar to those of advanced countries, but even had a lot of social inequality. From 1962 he led the development plans. The plans sought to encourage production levels creating poles of development in less industrialized regions, promoting the restructuring of coal mining, production of electric power, the modernization of the steel and textile sector and, consequently, increasing the workforce in the secondary sector. The First Development Plan (1964-1967) created promotional poles Huelva and Burgos and industrial development zones in La Coruña, Vigo, Zaragoza, Valladolid and Seville. The Second Development Plan (1968-1971) promoted the Ebro and Guadalquivir valleys, clears Madrid on the basis of growth Henares corridor and created new poles of development in Oviedo, Cordoba and Granada. The Third Development Plan (1972-1975) defined the preferred areas of industrial plant.
5 .- Crisis and industrial restructuring (1975-1985)
; The global economic crisis that began with the rise in oil prices in 1973, which hurt both Spain to other European countries, stressed the power and increased production costs, adversely affecting an industry dependent on the excess energy and little modernized technologically accelerated the closure of many enterprises and unemployment.
The third industrial revolution, with new information technologies and telecommunications, left outdated production systems changing demand unprecedented towards innovation and product diversification, based on the quality and design. Many Southeast Asian countries have specialized in traditional industries and high tech getting hard competition to Western countries by low salaries and low selling price.
With Reindustrialisation Conversion Law of 1984 and has proceeded to restructuring of industry and industrial spaces you companies adapting to new technologies. In the process of re-industrialization has played a fundamental role to the regions and foreign capital investment limiting them to six areas: Madrid, Catalonia, Galicia, Nervión Basin and Cadiz.
6 .- The industry since 1985
Although the tertiary sector is the main source of income recovery of the industry, following the guidelines of the European Union (since Spain joined in 1986) was based on technological innovation of information (communication speed and accuracy at work) and telecommunications (dissemination of real-time information), which has led to the creation of technology parks, research and development, outsourcing, facilities, services, SMEs and increased automation and flexibility of production. Industrial policy promotes and encourages certain industrial sites and regulate the environmental impact.
There are several industrial sectors: sectors adapted to the conversion, the dynamic sectors and high technology sectors.
industrial sectors adapted to the conversion, affected by the decline demand, production and of subsidies, are the steel industry (Asturias, Basque Country, Cantabria and Catalonia), manufacture of industrial machinery (Barcelona, Basque Country and Madrid), shipbuilding (Galicia, Cádiz, Cantabria and the Basque Country) and the textile, leather and footwear (Valencia and Catalonia), which has improved machinery, design and fashion.
dynamic industrial sectors have adapted to the times of strong competition International: are sectors with heavy dependence on foreign capital and ensured high demand. Stand the automotive industry chemical industry, whether refining or petrochemicals (Puertollano, Cartagena, Algeciras and Huelva) or chemical transformation of fertilizer companies, synthetic fibers, paints, varnishes, photographic materials, pharmaceuticals and paper (Basque Country, Catalonia and Madrid), the food industry and construction sector, which although known a boom since the late twentieth century until 2008, today is an industry in steep decline, suffering from severe financial and structural crisis.
The high-tech industries in electronics, telecommunications and biotechnology rely on external research, technology and patents. While companies are very dispersed, diversify their products and services.
The English industry problems today are industrial fabric clear decline, lack of research and funding cuts, the excessive concentration of SMEs, strangled tax, less competitive and medium quality with respect to the international market, the need to buy patents abroad, the low investment in technological development and strong regional imbalances, aggravated by attempts industrializing outermost zone with the crisis have strangled and often disjointed. The main objective of the European Union is to achieve better quality and competitiveness in industrial production, more and more at the sacrifice of the welfare state.
The most serious problems of environmental impact are the misuse of resources, raw materials and renewable energy sources, landscape degradation, air pollution in cities such as Madrid exceeds the limits set by European Union pollution water due to lack of investment in recycling and reusing non-potable water and disposal of toxic waste. There have been efforts to curb these problems among which sustainability (respect for the environment and wise use) of natural resources, control of discharges, although such episodes sad Aznalcóllar water purification, and Storage toxic waste safe.