During the course of the 18th century, the foundations of the Industrial Revolution and of present-day Catalonia were laid. Specialisation in farming, particularly in wine and spirits in coastal areas, the construction of cotton and printed calico mills and the opening up of the American market launched a new period of growth.

Catalonia began to industrialise in 1830. Steam-powered mills and industrial villages shaped a new economic model based on the textile industry, bringing with it changes in the country's topography and society. The tremendous rise of the cities, which led to the construction of new suburban extensions, went hand in hand with the emergence of two new social groups: the industrial bourgeoisie and the working class. Meanwhile, the Spanish liberal state increased political centralisation. Carlism, federal republicanism and protectionist campaigns were led by various social groups and were responses to the new political model. The end of the century was a time of revitalisation in Catalan language and culture through the Renaixença and Modernisme.