“An adventure with disastrous consequences”. The seizure of Madrid’s gasworks and the municipalization of public gas lighting (1917-1922)

Abstract

This article examines developments in the gas sector in Madrid between 1917 and 1922, when the gas factory was under the control of the City Council. The article discusses the reasons why the Council decided to cancel the gas supply contract and take over the gasworks, owned by the Gas Lighting and Heating Company of Madrid. Changes in the management of the business, alongside the problems faced by the Council owing to the dramatic increase in labour costs and the escalating difficulties in obtaining coal supplies, are thoroughly analysed. The article also explores the lawsuits between the Gas Company and the City Council, and the latter’s subsequent attempts to get rid of the business.