MORE THAN ORE: MODERN SPANISH STEEL, 1856-1936

Contrasting the iron law of the principle of comparative advantages as the determinant of the international division of labour has attracted dissidents to the international trade paradigm over the years. Spanish Bessemer steel is an outstanding comparative advantage enigma which stands to be resolved. Spain possessed important reserves apt for ore specific Bessemer processing. Depletion of existing deposits in industrial Europe and the increasing demand for this resource endowment made this all the more relevant. This paper examines if Spain could have or should have become one of Europe’s major producers of Bessemer steel.