All of Spain falls under the rule of the Bourbon dynasty in the 18th-century War of Spanish Succession. During the 19th-century, industrial expansion takes off, and finally the city's medieval wall is destroyed.

Known as the Catalan Manchester, Barcelona experiences unprecedented growth as the 20th century unfolds by annexing neighbouring villages, building more factories and drawing a wave of migrants from within Spain.

The Second Spanish Republic begins with great hope in Barcelona and across Spain as the crown, clergy and aristocracy's pillars of power are shaken loose. Catalonia's first Statute of Autonomy is approved, and thousands of schools are built.

The democratic experiment is in freefall by 1936, as a cadre of military generals launch a coup seeking to return to a more traditional Spain and trigger the Spanish Civil War. Armed workers and anarchists repel the coup in Barcelona.

Postwar Barcelona is a dark and ominous place with rampant famine, jails filled to capacity and the Catalan language, flags and cultural symbols banned.

The Franco era's second half gains the nickname `Dictablanda' because it is perceived as being blander and less harsh than the first 20 years of the dictatorship, but Barcelona and Spain seem frozen in time as the 1960s begin.