Pedro Pablo Ortúñez Goicolea

Cambio político, instituciones y empresas ferroviarias en España (1918-1936)

This paper shows how the State changed its attitude towards the railway industry and the concessionaire firms after the First World War, according to the new arising principles on public intervention in the economy. Spanish railway companies needed to keep in good terms with the State in order to get their fees increased, so the State assumed a more dominant role. It shifted from regulating to intervening in the industry and in the firms to finally end up by nationalizing the companies in 1941. This change in the scene for both sides led to the creation of institutions to deal with that intervention.