Surviving developmentalism. Environmental inequality and social protest in Franco’s Spain (Aragón, 1950-1979)

Abstract

We use written sources and a regional perspective (focused on the region of Aragón) in order to analyze how the Spanish society was capable of articulating environmental protest during the Franco regime and the transition to democracy. Protest was motivated by the environmental inequalities inherent to the regime’s productivistic model. The perception of such inequalities can already be detected by the 1950s, during the early years of economic growth. Later decades show a shift in the kind of collective actions undertaken – from legal to subversive actions. During the transition, the perception of environmental inequality in terms of social justice led to the former getting inserted in the agenda towards democracy. In sum, it was an important source of delegitimation of the dictatorship’s welfare discourse in rural areas and relegated urban areas. A “fair distribution of environmental sacrifices” was reclaimed, as well as a number of social and inequalities rights informed by unprecedented community values.