An attempt was made by the Spanish Monarchy to rationalise the structures of the State during the crisis of the Old Regime. Enlightened reforms were implemented to make politics, trade, industry and infrastructures more efficient. The system was known as “enlightened despotism” and, as in other parts of Europe, its maximum ideology was “everything for the people, nothing by the people”.

Bourbon absolutism in Catalonia was known as the Royal Decree. It was a twofold centralist system of government represented by the Captain General and the Royal Audience, although lacking in internal unity because of discrepancies between the militarism of the former and the civic nature of the latter.

Enlightened ideas and a concern for modernisation had been present in Catalan society since the end of the 18th century in the form of utilitarianism and practicality, based on the study of experimental sciences and the technical training of workers. Antonio de Capmany, the representative in Madrid from the Barcelona City Council and Board of Trade of the Principality of Catalonia, promoted this new reformist ideology despite defending the appropriateness of guilds.

Catalonia became firmly committed to wine specialisation according to the Rabassa Morta (dead strain) contract in the 18th century and this became a key factor in the economic growth of the Principality. The export of wine and liquor from the port of Salou, first to northern Europe and then in smaller quantities to the Americas (never more than 37% of the total), led to the accumulation of capital and the import of raw materials such as cotton and flax, which were vital for the emergence of a new local textile industry. New proto-factories in Barcelona were experiencing one of the most dynamic moments in the production of indianas and pintados (printed cotton or flax fabrics) across Europe.

Various manufacturing industries coexisted with agricultural work in the countryside and were preparing the rural population to work in the future Industrial Revolution. The goal of applying market policies (growing exports and protecting local production) encouraged the employment of large sectors of the population within a context of rising populations.

Although Catalan society during the crisis of the Old Regime was still class-based, economic growth encouraged greater social complexity. These changes affected daily life in general and the new mental and social paradigms altered aspects of work, food, forms of leisure and relationships between men and women.

The main leisure activities in Catalonia were theatre; music, works by Haydn were widely distributed; public or private balls, especially masked balls; exhibitions of artisanal products, such as wax figures, animals and people with special physical features; puppet shows; shadow plays, and the launching of hot-air balloons. The authorities made efforts to manage this leisure because of its “danger” in order to ensure social order and obtain revenue through ticket sales.

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.