Portuguese public finances in the first decades of XIX century (1800-27)

Abstract

Taking into account the need of going back in time to understand the difficulties felt after the civil war of 1832-34, we try to analyse in this article the financial crisis of the last years of the Ancien Régime. According to data on public revenues, expenses and debts, for some years between 1800 and 1827, unpublished so far, we sketch the main features of that crisis and we study its possible causes and some of its effects. Concerning public revenues, some attention is paid to tax evolution, specially to customs duties. Amongst expenses we insist on those related to the defense. Similarities between the structure of public revenues and expenses at the beginning and in the second half of the century suggest some comments on State evolution.