Spain began deindustrialization in the eighties of the last century. The lack of competitiveness after entering the Common Market added to the prestige of the service economy and the onset of globalisation. The influx of European money and a young and ambitious demographic made it possible to hide the negative effects of this desertification for decades.. While the industry, which was bought by multinational companies at bargain prices, moved its factories to the Far East, real estate investments increased, infrastructures were built and the financial sector dominated. Our major companies—electricity, telephone, textiles, banking…—were expanding into Latin America and making fortunes at the speed of the bubble. It cannot be denied that From the advent of democracy to the outbreak of the subprime crisis, While our country is modernizing in many ways, our industry has collapsed and our competitiveness has deteriorated. The passage of time helps to read recent history more clearly. What seemed like a successful bet at the time – specializing in services – did not happen: Our collective enrichment was on shaky foundations. To be honest, these mistakes weren’t just made in Spain. Generally, the entire south of the continent (including France) shares a similar diagnosis, Except that the starting point is different. The UK has been trapped more than we have, and London’s triumph as a global city has come at the expense of the rest of the country.
The loss of industrial power did not only mean a remarkable deterioration in the human capital and economic power of nations, but soon certain political pathologies began to develop. Wolfgang Münchau explained this in a recent article in El País: “The decline of the center and deindustrialization are closely related”, and this is because “the social fabric that supported the center has dissolved. In part, The explanation is economical, but cannot be reduced to a set of figures. In post-war Europe, industry provided lifetime employment, guaranteed retirement, and stable social structures. Industrial facilities were surrounded by sprawling neighborhoods. People were rooted in their own society. This is why, for example, the Germans speak of the Industriegesellschaft., industrial society, in contrast to the industrial economy. It’s a lifestyle”.
The defeat of centrism largely represents the failure of reformism and is the beginning of populist movements. In many countries, including ours, electoral politics gradually replaced rationality. On the weirdest excuses, the short term wins, and meanwhile, when we no longer have it, it’s tried to be earned. We’ve been told that “this time will be different”, but if history shows anything, it’s that a lack of practice almost never pays off. What makes sense a year from now normally doesn’t make sense when we open our eyes. While the West is a prisoner of its worst vices As identity, the middle class and the working class become unstable, the close relationship between economy and politics becomes more and more evident. The decline of industrial society, characteristic of the postwar era, brings with it a far more fragmented world ruled by disenchantment and resentment.