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RAILWAY NATIONALISM AND «RAILWAY IMPERIALISM» IN COLOMBIA AND THE ECONOMIC DECLINE OF SANTANDER, 1907–1918

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2020

Andrew Thomas Primmer
Andrew Thomas Primmer*
Affiliation:
University of Bristola
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Abstract

This article explores the development of railway nationalism and «railway imperialism» within Colombian politics during the early 20th century. It uses the experience of the hitherto unstudied Great Northern Central Railway of Colombia British «free-standing company» as a lens to evaluate the way in which these political currents impacted railway development in the Colombian department of Santander. It argues that the rise of railway nationalism intertwined with regionalism and personal interests represents an important and unacknowledged factor in the collapse of the British company, as well as the overall lack of railway expansion and subsequent economic decline in the department.

Resumen

RESUMEN

Este artículo explora el desarrollo del nacionalismo ferroviario y el «imperialismo ferroviario» en la política colombiana durante las primeras décadas del siglo XX. Analiza el colapso del Ferrocarril de Puerto Wilches; una «free-standing company» británica que hasta ahora no ha sido estudiada y evalúa como dichas corrientes políticas influyeron el desarrollo ferroviario en el departamento colombiano de Santander. El trabajo discute que el auge del nacionalismo ferroviario entrelazado con el regionalismo y los intereses personales representa un factor importante y no reconocido en el colapso del proyecto del Ferrocarril de Puerto Wilches liderado por la empresa británica, así como en la falta de expansión ferroviaria y el posterior declive económico en el departamento.

Keywords

railwayscapital marketsforeign direct investmentBritish overseas investmentBritish imperialismN76FerrocarrilesMercados de CapitalesInversión Extranjera DirectaInversión Británica ExtranjeraImperialismo Británico
Type
Articles/Artículos
Information
Revista de Historia Economica - Journal of Iberian and Latin American Economic History , Volume 39 , Issue 2 , September 2021 , pp. 355 - 389
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Copyright
Copyright © Instituto Figuerola, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, 2020

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Footnotes

a

HiPLA, School of Modern Languages, Bristol, UK. [email protected]

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