El Sistema polític a Lleida durant els anys de consolidació del liberalisme censatari (1843-1868)

Abstract

This Phd Thesis studies the liberal political system in the city of Lleida during the period of 1843 to 1868 and, on a secondary basis, the political situation of the rest of Western Catalonia during the same span of time. The research deals with the beginnings of the moderado-hegemony period, the dispute for the control of the political institutions, the social interests there defended, the members of the leading parties, the results of the elections, the experience of the Bienio Progresista, the limits of the reforming liberalism which controlled Lleida from 1858 to 1866 and the final crisis of 1868. The research unravels the topic that identifies backwardness and conservationism with societies mainly dependant on agrarian activities such as the Lleidian. A detailed analysis highlights the important presence of a progressive liberalism, the substantial growth of the democrats and a working class able to mobilize itself. Specifically the aim of my thesis is to move forward towards the construction of a model that explains the functioning of the liberal Spanish State.