La Milicia Nacional Voluntaria en Cataluña durante el Trienio Liberal (1820-1823). Una aproximación sociológica y geográfica

Identifier:  imarina:9262501

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/imarina9262501

Authors:  Mata, RA

Abstract:
This article studies the formation and development of the National Voluntary Militia in Catalonia during the Liberal Triennium (1820-1823) and the decisive part that the municipal governments played in promoting or restraining it. It also considers the debate between moderate and exalted liberalism with regard to the desired role and nature of the Militia within the Spanish constitutional system. Special attention is paid to the Militia's geographical implantation, the socioeconomic characteristics of its components and its comparison with those of other Spanish cities. Methodologically, the information extracted from various state, provincial and municipal archives is combined with existing bibliography on the National Militia in Catalan cities and the rest of Spain, in order to analyse its development in Catalonia and conduct a comparative study. This offers a global vision of the Militia's development and geographical implantation, highlighting its strength in the Catalan coastal and pre-coastal regions, as well as its social composition, where artisans, craft workers, merchants, liberal professionals and landowners predominate. A similar composition is found in most Spanish cities committed to the constitutional system.