Impact of the Railroad on the Reduction of Illiteracy in Extremadura, Spain (1860-1940)

Numerous studies have analysed the relationships between the implementation of the railroad within a territory and the demographic, urban, or economic development in that territory. The aim of this study deviates somewhat to focus on the possible repercussions of the railroad line in terms of reducing illiteracy rates in Extremadura (Spain) between the second half of the nineteenth century and 1940. Using a predominantly quantitative research method based on generating a historical transportation model and its correlations with social, educational, and demographic progress, the main conclusion reached is that a town's proximity to the railroad line is an important factor in the reduction of illiteracy rates compared with municipalities that are further away from the railroad, where the improvement is slower.