Conclusions

Abstract

Spain’s construction of a fiscal-military state in the eighteenth century managed to fend off the political and economic doom to which the Habsburgs’ empire had seemed headed. The change brought about in the period from 1690 to 1790 was radical and the process was by no means either quick or simple. The whole state had to be overhauled and its relations with the economy and taxpayers woven anew. In the end, however, there was certainly change and development. The fiscal-military state was capable of reinventing itself and creating different development dynamics. The developments can be broken down into at least three major stages, which we have dubbed, respectively, French inspiration, Spanish system and English aspiration. In each of them, the Spanish state showed its flexibility and will to participate in European responses to common needs.