Paralelismos entre los debates hidráulicos de España y Estados Unidos a finales del siglo XIX

Despite the great differences between the American Conservation Movement and the Spanish Regenerationism, both of them have a lot in common in terms of hydraulic conceptions. At the end of the ninetieth century, J.P. Powell and J. Costa defended very similar ideas in relation to a radical economic transformation of arid territories by means of large irrigation projects promoted by the State. Later, these ideas -in connection with social problems and set out in a sensationalist way- were spread by figures such as G.H. Maxwell, W.E. Smythe or J. Costa himself. Finally, thanks to personalities such as G. Newlands and EH. Newell -in the North American's case- or R. Gasset –in the Spanish's one- the plans began to materialize in a public policy of huge hydraulic constructions that would prevail for decades.