History of Madrid Long Form Answers Final

How did the liberal political system affect the city of Madrid?

During the reign of Isabella II, Madrid became:

• Center of government action

– Executive power

– Legislative power

– Judicial power

• Economic and financial center

• Center of educational and cultural institutions

• Madrid, a social benchmark

Using this map, explain how the urban space of Madrid was organized in the second half of the 19th century.

From the second half of the 19th century onwards, we can distinguish three distinct parts in Madrid:

The interior, which is the area within the wall erected by Philip IV in 1625.

• The Ensanche, which is the area planned by Castro. Living in the Ensanche was expensive, and many people could not afford to buy a home in this area; therefore, this area grew more slowly. The expansions are explained by the

need to expand urban spaces in the face of strong migration from the countryside to

the city, attracted by industry, services, or the Administration.

• The Outskirts, the area between the expansion and the municipal boundary. The poorest classes lived in these areas.

 

What are the two most important creations for the city of Madrid in the 19th century?

The Canal de Isabel II. The problem of water scarcity was increasingly serious due to the strong population increase. Therefore, in 1851, the President of the Council of Ministers approved a Royal Decree making the construction of the Canal de Isabel II viable. This canal consisted of reservoirs, canals, aqueducts, and tanks, and was inaugurated in June 1858. Railway. It arose as a response to the precariousness of the communications network of an inland city like Madrid. Therefore, a railway network was created that made Madrid a central hub for the national market and communications. In 1851, the Madrid-Aranjuez Railway was built. Subsequently, a Railway Law was passed in 1855, and from that moment on, various stations were built in the city, modifying the urban landscape.

Text Commentary Analyze and comment on the following text:

“In our cafés, we talk about everything that falls under the law of human speech. In a café, you hear the most foolish things and also the most sublime. There are those who have learned everything they know about philosophy at a café table (…). There are notables from the public sphere or the press who have learned everything they know in cafés. Men of powerful assimilation possess a certain wealth of knowledge without having opened a book, because they have appropriated ideas shared in those nocturnal circles by scholars who allow themselves an hour of leisure in such pleasant and fraternal gatherings. Wise men also go to cafés; there, too, you hear eloquent and substantial observations, concise expositions of profound doctrines. It is not all frivolity, street anecdotes, and lies; the café is like a great fair in which countless products of human thought are exchanged. Of course "Trinkets dominate, but among them, sometimes unseen, priceless jewels run."

First, explain the ideas in the text and relate it to the context of the time, explaining ideas such as:

In the 19th century, Madrid was a focal point of attraction because it was considered the pinnacle of success for all those individuals with political, cultural, and social ambitions who settled there, drawn by the allure of being the capital and the Court.

Although some existed in the 18th century, it was during the 19th century that cafés, as spaces for socializing, reached their peak. For the 19th-century Madrileño, belonging to the middle class, the café was everything: its function was multifaceted. There, one can go to chat in the informal gatherings, which come in various forms: military, student, bullfighter, or according to the background of the participants, or simply read the newspaper.

Highlight the main changes in the city of Madrid during the first third of the 20th century (1900-1930).

During the first third of the 20th century, changes occurred in the urban morphology and social fabric of the city, with a predominance of business owners, the middle class, and workers. Rentiers, civil servants, and domestic servants were also present. Madrid became the scientific and cultural capital of the country.

 

At the beginning of the 20th century, the social differences between the various neighborhoods had become significantly more pronounced. A socially segregated urban landscape emerged: the three expansions: North (Chamberí), East (Salamanca and Retiro), and South (Arganzuela).

When was the University City built, and which king promoted it?

Alfonso XIII always showed great interest in creating a great university. The intention to build a University City began with the Royal Decree of May 17, 1927, which created the Construction Board that would carry out this project.

When was Madrid founded and for what purpose?

Origen de Madrid (Año 860- 880)

The founder of Mayrit was Emir Muhammad I of Córdoba (852-886), who established the first permanent settlement by building a watchtower in the middle valley of the river, where the Royal Palace is currently located.

This watchtower served to guard the passage to the Guadarrama pass.

Madrid was a military enclave comprised of the Almudaina (from the Arabic al-mudayna, citadel) and the Medina (walled quarters). Why and for what purpose was Mayrit created? To defend Toledo from attacks by the Christians of the north. Its origin lies in a military fortress during a war.

In addition to a privileged defensive position, it had abundant water and other resources necessary for its sustenance, such as cultivated fields, orchards, pastures, and nearby forests for livestock.

2. Consequences of Madrid's status as capital.

The establishment of a permanent capital is an irreversible process characteristic of a modern state: centralized and bureaucratic. Philip II's decision to establish Madrid as the capital in 1561 brought about a profound structural change for the city.

 

The consequences were:

1. It gave the city distinctive characteristics and required specific treatment.

The settlement of the Court brought about a structural change in local life.

The status of capital was the fundamental and determining factor that shaped Madrid's historical development in its duality: Court-city.

2. Strong population growth.

 

3. From 1561 onwards, the Royal Lodging Regime was imposed, requiring the cession of part of the house—of more than two stories—to members of the Court. To circumvent this obligation, smaller, lower houses were built that could not accommodate the members of the Court—houses built under duress.

 

4. Direct dependence on nearby towns that supplied it with products, especially bread and flour.

5. Coexistence of a dual government: that of the town (councilors and corregidor) and that of the court (the council of the royal court). Since their powers were not clearly defined, there were moments of friction and complaints from the population. The court's government always prevailed over that of the town.