This book explores the complex history of Catalonia in relation to Spain from an economic and political perspective. It begins in the Middle Ages and ends in the present day, analysing the intricate political problems of modern day Catalonia within a context of European integration and nationalism.

Author Biography

Gabriel Tortella is Professor Emeritus of Economic History at the Universidad de Alcala, Madrid, Spain. He received the King Juan Carlos Economics Prize in 1994, and has been President of the International Economic History Association, the Spanish Economic History Association, and Chairman of the Academic Council of the European Association for Banking and Financial History, Frankfurt. Among his many publications, recent books include The Development of Modern Spain, The Origins of the Twenty-First, with J. A. Consiglio and J. C. Martinez Oliva, Banking and Finance in the Mediterranean with Gloria Quiroga, Entrepreneurship and Growth (Palgrave, 2013), and with Jose Luis Garcia Ruiz, Spanish Money and Banking (Palgrave, 2013).