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The transformation of the countryside

Despite the harsh situation that follows the War of the Spanish Succession, over the 18th century there is an economic recovery that lays the foundations for the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century.

The wine press exemplifies the transformation of the rural world, with the specialization of crops and the application of new techniques. The vine is the most important crop of the time, flourishing all over the country, even on the most difficult land. The grape is designed for the production of wines and spirits, which leads to the growth of an industry that expands in response to demand from overseas markets. That is the beginning of an industry that is still very much alive in Catalonia today.

The activation of agricultural production also stimulates the traditional industries such as forges, paper mills or woollen mills. That whole process of growth receives a fresh impulse from 1778, with the possibility of direct trade with the American colonies. The profits are invested in new industries for producing printed cotton fabrics, the indianes, the cornerstone of industrialization.

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