Article ID: CBB086633556

Appropriation, Integration, and Nation Building: Portuguese Railways in the Second Half of the Nineteenth and Early Years of the Twentieth Century (2021)

unapi

In 1850, after three decades of political turmoil, Portugal started investing in major public works, particularly, in the construction of a national railway network. This strategy followed closely the suggestions of the Saint-Simonian technocrats with whom Portuguese engineers had been engaging since the 1820s. Additionally, it came in response to the longtime neglect suffered by the Portuguese transportation system, which hindered communications and trade between different areas of the kingdom and with neighboring Spain. The main goal of the investment was to modernize the national transport system, attract to Portuguese harbors a large portion of the traffic between Europe, Africa, and America, and, in general terms, put the nation on the path of progress. By the end of the nineteenth century, total mileage of the Portuguese rail network exceeded 2,300 km. This article analyzes the role of railways in the improvement of communications between the Portuguese provinces, their appropriation in a unified nation-state, the degree of integration of the Portuguese economy with the Spanish and European economies, and the construction/reinvention of Portugal as a modern and technological nation. To achieve these goals, I will use three key concepts: territorial appropriation, circulation, and globalization. Sources include statistics of railway operation and previous works analyzing the impact of railways on the Portuguese transport system and economy, the outcomes of operating transnational lines, and the importance of technology for the reinvention of Portugal during the second half of the nineteenth century.

...More
Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB086633556/

Similar Citations

Article Espinha da Silveira, Luís; Alves, Daniel; Lima, Nuno Miguel; Alcântara, Ana; Puig, Josep; (2011)
Population and Railways in Portugal, 1801--1930 (/isis/citation/CBB001211162/)

Article Fredrik Andersson; Thomas Pettersson; (2015)
Between Private Interests and the State: Corporatist Strategies in the Swedish Railway Council, 1902-67 (/isis/citation/CBB929295971/)

Article Carolino, Luís Miguel; Mota, Teresa Salomé; Figueiredo, Dulce; (2013)
The Portuguese Polytechnicians of the “Long Nineteenth Century”: Technical Expertise, Military Aspirations, and Political Disenchantment. a Preliminary Study (/isis/citation/CBB001321193/)

Article Mojica, Laia; Martí-Henneberg, Jordi; (2011)
Railways and Population Distribution: France, Spain, and Portugal, 1870--2000 (/isis/citation/CBB001211161/)

Book Kerr, Ian J.; (2007)
Engines of Change: The Railroads That Made India (/isis/citation/CBB000950798/)

Book Miner, H. Craig; (2010)
A Most Magnificent Machine: America Adopts the Railroad, 1825--1862 (/isis/citation/CBB001200238/)

Article Jaume Martí-Romero; Adrià San-José; Jordi Martí-Henneberg; (2021)
The Radiality of the Railway Network in Spain during its Early Stages (1830–67): An Assessment of its Territorial Coherence (/isis/citation/CBB708272306/)

Article Simone Müller-Pohl; (2013)
Chess by Cable: On the Interrelation of Technology and Sports in the Making of the Modern World (/isis/citation/CBB394679583/)

Article Matos, Ana Cardoso de; Santos, Maria Luísa F. N. dos; Bernardo, Maria Ana; (2010)
Transport, Tourism and Technology in Portugal between the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries (/isis/citation/CBB001024290/)

Book J. Justin Castro; James A. Garza; (2022)
Technocratic Visions: Engineers, Technology, and Society in Mexico (/isis/citation/CBB524423162/)

Article Bogarta, Dan; Chaudhary, Latika; (2013)
Engines of Growth: The Productivity Advance of Indian Railways, 1874--1912 (/isis/citation/CBB001450376/)

Thesis Alexander Schweig; (2019)
Tracking Technology and Society along the Ottoman Anatolian Railroad, 1890–1914 (/isis/citation/CBB609004733/)

Article Kowalczyk, Rafal; (2009)
Economic Aspects of the Development of the Railway System in the Kingdom of Poland Until 1914 (/isis/citation/CBB000932721/)

Authors & Contributors
Martí-Henneberg, Jordi
Imogen Sophie Kristin Wade
Garza, James A.
Thomas Pettersson
Purcar, Cristina
Pereira, Hugo Silveira
Concepts
Technology and economics
Railroads
Technology and politics
Technology and society
Modernization
Technology
Time Periods
19th century
20th century, early
20th century
21st century
20th century, late
Places
Portugal
India
United States
Spain
Russia
France
Institutions
Swedish Railway Council
Comments

Be the first to comment!

{{ comment.created_by.username }} on {{ comment.created_on | date:'medium' }}

Log in or register to comment