Rural credit banksCredit cooperatives for the land. The case of Andalusia (1902–2000)

Resumen

Rural credit banks emerge as a formula to cover the collective requirements of financial resources in the rural world, at a time when access to credit under efficient conditions was difficult for farmers. Despite their geographic and functional expansion, these entities have maintained a close territorial link. The aim of this chapter is to analyse the history of Andalusian rural credit banks during the 20th century. The first entities of this type in Andalusia emerged at the beginning of this century with some delay compared to other European countries and with less momentum than in other areas of Spain. Since then, numerous small-scale entities have been created, mostly linked to Agrarian Trade Unions or as credit sections of agricultural cooperatives. Since the middle of the century, the Andalusian sector of rural savings banks began to take shape with institutions that, for the most part, remained operational until the end of the century.