Literacy, education and welfare in Spain (1893–1954)

Abstract

Using a new source, the draft records of Spanish recruits in the first half of the twentieth century, this article shows the relationship between literacy, measured by a survey and from signatures, and the level of welfare, measured by height. The first section shows how literacy contributes tom economic growth, establishes the distinction between descriptive and functional literacy and introduces the sources that provide data. The second section is dedicated to the presentation of the source used in this article: the enlistment records (hoja de filiación) that Spanish recruits filled in at the moment of enlistment and its advantages: universality, information that can be related in time and space, on various levels. In the third section, two different series of literacy at a national level are calculated and compared: literacy rates and quality of the signatures of Spanish recruits between 1893 and 1954. The fourth section shows the relationship between the literacy levels and height. The final section presents conclusions.