After the disaster of 1714 and the long post-war period, Catalan society underwent a period of demographic and economic growth. On the coast, specialisation in vine-growing and the development of traditional industries orientated the market towards exports. Reus, Vilanova and Mataró were active centres of manufacturing and trade.

Throughout the 18^th century, the opening up of trade with America played a key role in the economic take-off of the country. Much of the capital obtained from trade with the American colonies was then invested in local industries. Catalonia laid the basis for industrialisation, largely driven by the textile sector.

The cultural and scientific drive of the second half of the 18^th century, associated with the Enlightenment, developed from private academies and institutions like the Board of Trade, the Barcelona Academy of Fine Arts, the Academy of Natural Sciences and Arts and the Academy of Medicine.

All these institutions promoted technical studies and innovation as a response to the needs of industry and made great efforts to publicise the new scientific discoveries of the time. In the arts, the sensitivity of Baroque gave way to the Neoclassical style, and the spirit of the Enlightenment was present in many manifestations of culture.

In the 19^th century, Catalonia suffered great political instability. Between 1793 and 1833 the country experienced the final crisis of the Ancien Regime, and the introduction of liberalism prefigured a new model of society which, however, met strong resistance from Carlism. This traditionalist, conservative movement was strongly established in several areas, leading to a long armed conflict.

The struggles between liberals and absolutists during the reign of Ferdinand VII and between moderates and progressives during the reign of Isabella II demonstrate the difficulties for consolidating a modern, liberal State in Spain as a whole. In the second half of the century, democratic ideas and the appearance of the workers’ movement played a fundamental role in political mobilisation and the transformation of the country.

After the economic impulse of the 18^th century, during the 19^th century Catalonia underwent economic and social transformations deriving from industrialisation. Once the first Carlist War (1833-1840) was over, industrial growth, which had begun in the previous decade, speeded up, with the widespread introduction of the steam engine.

Industrialisation, based above all on the textile sector, established its own particular geography which transformed the territory. In the traditional manufacturing areas like Barcelona, Terrassa and Sabadell, what were known as vapors were installed – steam-powered factories attracting thousands of workers from rural areas. At the same time, industrial colonies were set up in the river basins to use hydraulic energy.

With industrialisation, Catalonia discovered the progress and the conflicts resulting from a capitalist society. The Catalan bourgeoisie became aware and organised itself politically to protect its interests in the Spanish parliament. Campaigns in favour of protectionism for industry clashed with the interests of a good part of the State, where a traditional economic structure still predominated.

Meanwhile, the working class was also organising in the face of the lamentable living conditions suffered by many workers. Workers’ groups grew and, from the second half of the century onwards, the emergence of political parties and trade unions connected with the international worker’s movement played a key role in the social mobilisations and political conflicts in the country.

The influence of Romanticism and the European cultural trends of the time generated the Renaixença, a movement to revitalise the Catalan language and culture that affected all areas of creation and all social classes. The people behind the Renaixença connected Catalan society with its cultural tradition and were vitally important in forming a national consciousness.

Throughout the 19^th century, the various conflicts with the State and the dynamism of Catalan society, with all its complexity, wealth and contradictions, laid the basis for future political Catalan nationalism. The first Catalan Nationalist Congress was held in 1880 and, two years later, the Catalan Centre was established. Among its first actions was the presentation of a petition of grievances to King Alfonso XII.

Social changes and population growth meant urban areas had to be adapted to new requirements. The demolition of the walls enclosing the cities and the construction of new rationally planned districts were a first step. In the case of Barcelona, the walls were demolished in 1854 and the Cerdà Plan was implemented, with the building of the Eixample.

Cities were provided with a variety of facilities. Sewerage and water supply to homes became widespread and represented a great leap forward in improving living conditions. Gas supply contributed to street lighting and transport was modernised with horse-drawn trams.

Art Nouveau was the dominant artistic and cultural trend in the Western world at the beginning of the 20^th century. In Catalonia, it drew on a historical moment that gave it a very particular character. The cities grew, taking up the new architecture, and the need to modernise society and culture in the context of successive political crises became a priority for local intellectuals.

Important figures like Antoni Gaudí, Joan Maragall, Ramon Casas and Santiago Rusiñol expressed their spirit of transformation based on different sensitivities and they placed Catalan culture in the front line. Architecture, music, theatre, literature, as well as political essays, were imbued with the spirit of what was known as Modernisme, with a great impact on the society of the time.