Innovating in hard time. Spanish firms under pressure in the Cold War

Abstract

The article analyses the situation that confronted and answers that held various Spanish companies in high technology sectors during the Cold War, primarily due to two factors. On the one hand, under conditions of rapid technology changes on the Spanish companies were a clear technological dependency on multinationals. On the other hand, Cold War was interfering in trade relations with serious obstacles to the normal functioning of the market economy. This contribution fits into the integrative and interdisciplinary approach established by Segreto almost four decades after the work of Adler-Karlsson, considered as a pioneer in the field. The condition of Spain as a peripheral country and the diversity of the companies analyzed are important aspects to consider. The work updated bibliography and incorporates new primary sources, including the business and the official.