Historia contemporánea (Feb 2020)
The Almaden Mercury Mines from 1939 to 1960. Production Strategies, Modernization, and their Impact on Workers and the Population
Abstract
Almadén means in Arabic the mine, its population has always lived from and for the mine, and in the 1940s and 1950s also because of its 10,000 inhabitants, 2,500 were miners. In this article about Almaden, the largest mercury deposit in the world, three stages of its long history are contemplated: the postwar period (1939-1945), the autarky (1945-1950) and the so-called hinge decade (1950-1960), analyzing the socioeconomic context, the means of production in the underground workings and in the furnaces, the safety and health of workers, the surrounding environment, their labor relations and the international quotation of mercury in this period, allows us to know its evolution and modernization between 1939 and 1960. This article intends to contribute to the knowledge of this period so little studied in the history of Almadén, since most of the research carried out in recent years they concern the Modern Age. In addition, the Almadén case study will certainly contribute to the knowledge of industrial and mining policy in Spain in the 20th century.
