«The worker of this village is suffered…». Working class and social conflicts east Burgos: Pradoluengo (1820-1936)

Abstract

The process of industrialisation that tookplace in Pradoluengo (Burgos), from the first mechanisation during the seconddecade of the 19th century until the first third of the 20th, meant gradual butsteady social polarisation, and the proletarianisation of the pre-industrialmanufacturing class. This in turn led to a variety of social problems: the worsening working conditions, lower salariesand irregular work patterns that would oscillate between excessive hours and periodicunemployment. Typically, however, the workers of Pradoluengo seemed to acceptthe situation, and there is little evidence of any capacity for self-organisationwithin the labour force. The poor hygiene, non-existent safety measures in theworkplace, lack of food —the direct cause of many illnesses—, and appallingliving conditions were all in stark contrast to the opulent lifestyles of the newindustrialists, the «indianos» or merchant «bourgeoisie». Municipalworks and the oligarchy’s charity barely disguised a situation that even thislatter class itself found disturbing. However, the first timid moves towardsany form of social protest or labour movements did not emerge until the 1920s, and would come to an abrupt end with the outbreak of the Civil War.