History of Technology Volume 30: European Technologies in Spanish History

Abstract

It is well known that by the treaty of Aix-la-chapelle in october 1748 spain ended an almost continuous succession of dynastic wars, which had been draining most of its financial resources to the detriment of the national economy since the early eighteenth century. thereafter, spain’s enlightened rulers, free from the burden of excessive military expenditure, were able to allocate an increasing amount of the budget towards modernizing the economy and rebuilding the national infrastructures.