Barcelona hosted two universal exhibitions in a very short time: one in 1888; the other in 1929. Just as the one in 1888 showed the first industrial revolution, that of steam, the Expo of 29 was to show the second industrial revolution, that of electricity. The International Expo of 1929 wanted to be synonymous with modernity, but it took place in a time of great instability and was inaugurated after many obstacles. This is explained in the programme 'Cròniques de Barcelona' by Joan Fuster Sobrepere, professor of Contemporary History at the UOC; Juan José Lahuerta, head of the MNAC Collections; Carme Grandas, researcher at the Catalan Society of Historical Studies; Eduardo Mendoza, writer, and Montse Madrilejos, author of the book “El flamenco a la Barcelona de l'Exposició Universal”. The 1929 Universal Expo was the second great moment of growth for the city. The first had been the demolition of the walls and the construction of the Eixample. This exhibition, dedicated to electric current, was to help electrify Catalonia and make the change from steam to electricity in industry. In reality, the project first emerged in 1909 and the date of the event was to be 1914. But that year, in Barcelona, ​​there was the Tragic Week and Spain had just lost its colonies. The social struggles between workers and trade union organizations against the employers and the bourgeoisie caused deaths and social tension. As a result, the project was delayed. Finally, the Universal Exhibition was inaugurated on May 19, 1929 with Alfonso XIII, when electricity was no longer so new. In addition to the internal problems, the world context was also not conducive to an event of this kind. In 1914, the First World War broke out. Shortly after, the Russian Revolution broke out. In 1929, the US stock market crashed. And, still, on a national scale, the Primo de Rivera coup d'état brought about the dictatorship between 1923 and 1930. This last event fully affected the organization of the exhibition. The Exposició del 29 was a project of the Catalan industrial bourgeoisie promoted by the Regionalist League. But with the coming to power of Primo de Rivera, the League lost power and the project became Spanishized. Despite everything, the Barcelona bourgeoisie continued to be behind the organization and did not look down on Primo's dictatorship. Under Primo de Rivera's dictatorship, the project became Spanishized: the four columns of Puig i Cadafalch that symbolized the four bars of the Catalan flag were eliminated; the Poble Espanyol was created, a reproduction of traditional Spanish architecture; the largest Spanish art exhibition ever held was held and buildings were built that offered a traditional image of the country, rather than a modern one. In a short time, the population of Barcelona had multiplied by five. It had to grow and Montjuïc offered space for housing and gardens, an obsession of the time. It was an easy place to build and expropriate. The Exhibition was the perfect excuse to urbanize Montjuïc and bring order to it. Puig i Cadafalch was the author of some of the buildings for the exhibition. There was a great contrast between the conservative-style buildings built by the organizers, and the modern-style ones built by the international guests. While the buildings on Montjuïc mountain were being built in Barcelona, ​​skyscrapers had been built in Chicago for 40 years. The buildings on Montjuïc mountain were born to be ephemeral, but they ended up being maintained. The construction of the Exhibition, with a large program of public works, such as the construction of new metro tunnels, brought thousands of workers from the rest of Spain to the city. The lack of affordable housing favored the emergence of shantytowns and precarious constructions. The Exhibition closed its doors on January 30, 1930. On the one hand, it was a success for visitors: more than two million people saw it. The people of Barcelona adopted the mountain of Montjuïc as the new space for recreation and leisure. However, it did not serve to modernize industry. And it was an economic disaster: the City Council paid its debts until the 1980s. The port of Barcelona and the city's transport network benefited. Streets were paved and gas lighting was replaced by electric. However, relatively few businesses were done. Subscribe to betevé's Youtube channel: https://goo.gl/WzArN1 Follow betevé on: Instagram: https://goo.gl/rkU4S2 Twitter: https://goo.gl/HdKjiy Facebook: https://goo.gl/rpKwYv Web: https://goo.gl/zBrEhq