Between the end of the 19^th century and the beginning of the 20^th, production systems were given a new impulse, known as the Second Industrial Revolution. This period was characterised by the use of new energy sources, such as electricity and oil; industrial diversification, with the appearance and development of new sectors; and the spread of new communication and transport systems.

Cities grew steadily and the increase in urban demand, together with the internationalisation of the agricultural market, was one of the decisive factors in transforming the rural world. In many parts of Catalonia, however, the changes were limited in scope and the new ways coexisted with a traditional production structure.

The deep crisis of the Restoration regime caused by the loss of the last overseas colonies in 1898 gave a new boost to political Catalan nationalism. In 1901, for the elections to the Spanish Cortes, the Regionalist League was established, a conservative party close to the Catalan bourgeoisie founded with the desire to establish new type of governance in both Catalonia and Spain.

In 1906, as a response to a series of government attacks, Catalan Solidarity was set up – a coalition grouping different Catalan nationalist forces, including the League. The coalition obtained emphatic success, although it was soon dissolved due to ideological discrepancies. From the 1909 elections onwards, Catalan nationalism was divided into two broad groups: the regionalist right, keen on making pacts and agreements, and the republican, nationalist left.

The Mancomunitat of Catalonia – the country’s first self-government institution since 1714 – was established on 6 April 1914, thanks to the energy and strength of the Catalan nationalists. The Mancomunitat was a federation of the four Catalan provincial governments and, although it was a strictly administrative institution, it was very important politically.

Presided over by Enric Prat de la Riba (1914-1917) and Josep Puig i Cadafalch (1917-1923) – both of them activists in the Regionalist League – the institution became an essential instrument for the modernisation of the country. The Mancomunitat built mobility, health and education infrastructures and contributed to revitalising the Catalan language and culture.

The workers' movement, inspired by Marxist and Anarchist thought, gained political importance at the turn of the century despite the failure of the 1902 general strike and the repression following the “Tragic Week”. In 1910, the National Confederation of Labour (CNT) was established, with anarcho-syndicalist roots. It became the leading trade union of the Catalan workers’ movement until the Civil War.

After the Canadiense strike (1919), which managed to establish the eight-hour working day, the increasing number of tit-for-tat attacks between anarchists and gunmen hired by employers turned the streets of the Catalan cities into battlefields. Primo de Rivera’s military dictatorship, established in 1923, began severe repression against workers’ organisations.

On 14 April 1931, Francesc Macià proclaimed the Republic after the collapse of the monarchist parties at the municipal elections. He agreed the approval of a statute of political autonomy for Catalonia with the other democratic forces in Spain. So, as part of the Spanish Second Republic, the old Generalitat was restored, with completely new powers.

The Republic began a period of democracy and freedom marked by social polarisation and an international context dominated by the rise of fascism and economic crisis. The conflicts finally led to the military rising (1936) and the Spanish Civil War. The Generalitat was involved in the defence of the lawful Republic and the fight against fascism to the very end.

The military coup d’état of 17 July 1936 resulted in three years of bloody civil war. Catalonia remained loyal to the Republic while at the same time undergoing a revolutionary process driven by anarchist militias. The Generalitat organised the resistance and war effort and suffered internal confrontations between the different political forces and mobilised trade unions.

The civil population was hit hard by the conflict: rising prices, hunger and bombing. Defeat in the Battle of the Ebro sealed the fate of the Republican side, leading to the fall of Catalonia. The end of the war and the beginning of General Franco’s military dictatorship saw the abolition of Catalan autonomy, exile and strong repression of pro-Catalan and left-wing movements.