Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP15616
Authors: Leandro Prados de la Escosura; Carlos Santiago Caballero
Abstract: The Napoleonic Wars had dramatic consequences for Spain’s economy. The Peninsular War had higher demographic impact than any other military conflict, including civil wars, in the modern era. Farmers suffered confiscation of their crops and destruction of their main capital asset, livestock. The shrinking demand, the disruption of international and domestic trade, and the shortage of inputs hampered industry and services. The loss of the American colonies, a by-product of the French invasion, seriously harmed absolutism. In the long run, however, the Napoleonic Wars triggered the dismantling of Ancien Régime institutions and interest groups. Freed from their constraints, the country started a long and painful transition towards the liberal society. The Napoleonic Wars may be deemed, then, as a watershed in Spanish history.
Keywords: Napoleonic Wars; Peninsular War; Spain; Institutional Change; Growth
JEL Codes: E02; F54; N13; N43
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Napoleonic Wars (N43) | Population Decline (J11) |
| Military Operations (H56) | Population Decline (J11) |
| Disease (I12) | Population Decline (J11) |
| Food Confiscation (D18) | Population Decline (J11) |
| Napoleonic Wars (N43) | Agricultural Disruption (Q19) |
| Confiscation of Livestock and Crops (P32) | Agricultural Capital Decline (Q12) |
| Agricultural Capital Decline (Q12) | Food Supply Decline (Q11) |
| Napoleonic Wars (N43) | Institutional Changes (D02) |
| Loss of American Colonies (F54) | Weakening of Absolutism (H11) |
| Weakening of Absolutism (H11) | Transition to Liberal Society (P39) |