The crisis (1893-1964)

From 1885-86 wine prices began to fall and another period of social upheaval began, a prelude to the serious slump caused by the outbreak of phylloxera in 1893. Phylloxera killed the vines and suddenly impoverished the entire population, as the economy revolved around vines, wine and its by-products. Montblanc plunged into a deep economic and demographic crisis, from which it did not begin to recover until 70 years later.

At the beginning of the 20th century it was tried to mitigate the crisis through the cooperative cellars, but the Spanish Civil War caused a new stagnation. In 1947 Montblanc was declared Monumental Artistic Ensemble and it began a slow restoration of its monuments.

In the 1960s there was an industrial and cultural recovery which led to a slow increase in the population after having reached a minimum of 4,421 inhabitants in 1950.