The Debate Surrounding Craft Guilds in Late 18th-Century Spain and its Manifestations in the Catalan Case

Abstract

During the last quarter of the eighteenth century, some Spanish Enlightenment economists—like their European counterparts—voiced serious concerns about the guilds, arguing that they hindered manufacturing development. Others, equally enlightened, defended them, particularly in Catalonia, where they continued to play an important role. This article, grounded in both economic history and the history of economic thought, begins by reviewing the contemporary debate surrounding the guilds. It then presents the main arguments made by Spanish Enlightenment thinkers both for and against them, as well as the reform proposals that led to a government-promoted “mixed” system. Finally, the conflicts between the guilds and the “free” manufacturers are analyzed, as well as the way in which the institutions responsible for resolving them—specifically, the Board of Trade of Barcelona—addressed the clashes between the old order and the new during this transitional period.