To talk about the history of Barcelona requires back more than 4,000 years to the end of the Neolithic, when there is empirical evidence of the first human settlements belonging to the Iberians, the Visigoths and, later, the Romans, who installed their first populations in approximately the 1st century BC.
During the Augustan empire, the town of what would be Barcelona developed trade. However, it was not until after the 3rd century, when Christianity took hold, that the area received more attention and interest due to its access to the Mediterranean.
In less than six convulsed centuries it became, successively, a Visigothic colony, an integral and strategic but brief part of the Muslim Caliphate and, finally, a zone of influence of the Carolingian Empire. Upon the arrival of the 10th century, it became an independent and autonomous county.
The transformation of Barcelona
With the arrival of the Middle Ages, the County of Barcelona became one of the most important political, cultural and socioeconomic centres of the Mediterranean because it was an active part of the Crown of Aragon, an immense and extensive territory that went from Catalonia to Athens. This allowed the port of Barcelona to compete with Naples, Palma de Mallorca and Venice.
However, this period of power was eclipsed by a long chain of socioeconomic crises and military conflicts such as the War of the Reapers and the War of Succession during the Middle Ages and a good part of the Modern Age.
With the arrival of the 19th century, the city experienced sustained growth at the demographic, urban and economic levels.
The city preserved the Roman grid but with a much broader urban perimeter.
However, on a social level, the city was experiencing a veritable hotbed of social struggles, all of which were fuelled in the midst of artistic and cultural splendour.
The contemporary era and its subsequent consolidation
The situation became untenable over the decades until it finally led to turbulent periods such as the Primo de Rivera dictatorship during the 1920s, the end of the monarchy and the adoption of the second republic in 1931 and the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936.
During the Spanish Civil War, Barcelona became the most important stronghold of the Republican side, as it was the seat of government.
Some of the bloodiest combats of the conflict were staged in the city. Among them were some of the most intense bombardments by the Franco side.
The fall of the republic and the subsequent victory of the Franco regime generated intense persecution throughout Barcelona due to insurrectionary activity that lasted throughout the Second World War.
The Catalan partisans helped the Allied side, especially the French Resistance.
During the Franco dictatorship, the city became an industrial pole thanks to its port, its strategic geographical location and its dynamism in terms of both construction and the new means of transport and the multiple industries and shops, especially cultural and artistic ones.
European Union, Olympic Games and the 21st century
With the advent of democracy, a socioeconomic boost was unleashed thanks to the integration with the European Union in 1986. With it came a new, very competitive and thriving commercial market.
In 1992, Barcelona reached the peak of its socioeconomic development and its sporting and cultural splendour when it became the venue for the Olympic Games.
In addition to raising its reputation, the Olympics became a catalyst for urban development thanks to the construction of new sports facilities, especially the Olympic Village. The boost to tourism has lasted to this day.
With the arrival of the 21st century, Barcelona had become the most important commercial city in Spain and one of the poles of development in all of Western Europe thanks to its enormous production destined for both the domestic market and export.
The enormous international projection of Barcelona was achieved thanks to its impressive tourist industry and its commercial port, which is one of the most important in the world.
Other highlights include its extraordinary publishing industry, whose influence has spread to all Spanish-speaking countries, its many museums and art galleries, and even a true sports powerhouse thanks to Fútbol Club Barcelona.
However, this enormous cultural and commercial growth and socioeconomic influence throughout Catalonia has also fuelled the desire for greater autonomy and even independence from Spain.
This yearning for independence has caused quite a few frictions with the rest of Spain, which sees its political stability in jeopardy, especially after the 2008 crack that caused a crisis that has not yet been fully overcome.
However, despite great challenges and problems, Barcelona has maintained its momentum and pushed in multiple commercial branches so varied that they include hospitality, gastronomy, art and culture, industrialization and shipping manufacturing. It even has incredible audiovisual development that has led it to become the capital of Spanish cinematography.