The development of entrepreneurship throughout history includes various stages and specific characteristics, characteristic for a certain time. Entrepreneurship is the carrier of economic growth and development, and its development throughout history has been researched by many authors, and all equally emphasize its significant role in job creation and wealth. The roots of entrepreneurship can be found in ancient civilizations. Entrepreneurship flourished in the 17th century due to the opening of various trades and trading companies and its importance spread through the emerging industry. After the end of the industrial revolution, mass production began, the role of entrepreneurship in society stagnated until the end of the 20th century, when information and communication technology developed rapidly, and socialistically social systems collapsed. Today, entrepreneurship is an important source of jobs and prosperity in society and the region, and its role is recognized at both the economic and political levels. In this first part, this work will present the conceptual framework of entrepreneurship, enumerated and described the conditions for the development of entrepreneurship, the challenges of entrepreneurship in the 21st century and the concept and characteristics of entrepreneurs in the 21st century. Since entrepreneurs permeate through history, they are an indispensable part of the whole, and we can describe them as key drivers of economic development, generators of new business and carriers of new products and services. The second part will describe in detail the development of entrepreneurship through history, entrepreneurship in the original community, antiquity and the Middle Ages, and entrepreneurship in countries in transition. An indispensable part that we look at is to encourage the development of entrepreneurship in the European Union, an overview of entrepreneurial activities of developed countries such as Austria and Belgium and finally shows entrepreneurship in the Republic of Croatia.