Article for "Third Way Think Tank".
Historical background.
Catalonia was one of the first zones of the Iberian
Peninsula by which the Indo-European entered in it, giving place to what was
called the “Culture of the fields of ballot boxes” in German Urnenflederkultur. On this substrate was
built the so-called “Iberian culture”, not by any change of population but by
cultural and religious influences of other peoples of the Mediterranean
Catalunya was deeply Romanized and later it was one of
the areas with the most Gothic influence of the Iberian peninsula. After the
Muslim invasion of the Iberian Peninsula (711) several resistance areas were
formed, one of them in the Pyrenean zone, which were protected by Charlemagne
in what was called the “Marca Hispanica”.
The Eastern part of this “Marca Hispanica” is where Catalonia was born,
as a people, a language and a political entity, with the symbiosis of the
Gothic and Gallo-Hispanic-Romanic elements.
Catalonia ceases to belong to the Carolingian empire
with the arrival to the throne of Wilfredo the Hairy (IX century), a noble
Goth, who is the author of the Catalan flag, which symbolizes blood (red) and
shield (yellow) poured into the fight against the Muslims to conquer the
territory of the present Catalonia. The Principat of Catalonia joins the
kingdom of Aragon and together they will form the Crown of Aragon (XII century),
probably the most powerful state in the medieval western Mediterranean.
In 1492 Isabel of Castile married Ferdinand of Aragon
the so-called “Catholic Kings”, this didn´t suppose at all the "unity of
Spain", but the unity of the crowns, that is to say both crowns will
always have the same king, but both states (Castilla and Aragon-Catalonia) continue
working practically independently. It is in 1700 that when the death of the
last Spanish king Habsburg, Charles II, a war is produced to inherit the
Spanish crowns. Felipe V of Bourbon won, supported by Castile, while Catalonia
supports the Habsburg house. Felipe V brings from France, his model of
centralist state and imposes it to the defeated Catalans, now that Catalonia
passes to the dominion of Castilla-Spain for "military conquest" as
stated in the corresponding law. Catalonia loses all its laws and freedoms in
this moment.
Nationalism
in Catalonia
Catalunya loses its own institutions until in 1914 the
“Mancomunitat Catalana” was born resurrected, this is accompanied by the birth
of Catalan nationalism with a clear Volkish component, a cultural movement
called Renaixença, and an awakening
of the national consciousness with the first manifestations of protest.
This movement was a typical popular nationalism, of
vindication of the past, of national pride, like most ethno-völkish movements of the XIX century.
The spaish
policy
During those years the Spanish centralist politics
followed the growing Catalan demand, the forces of the Spanish right were the
most opposed to any concession of self-government in Catalonia, with which
Catalan nationalism begins to approach the left.
During the Second Republic autonomy was granted to
Catalonia, and that is why Catalan nationalism is on the Republican side
against Franco who denied any autonomy. This, together with the incredible
Franco´s policy of centralism and repression of the Catalan (language,
institutions, etc.) brought Catalan nationalism closer to the left.
After Franco's death, an autonomic regime was
established in Spain, but instead of giving autonomy only to
"special" areas (Catalonia, Basque Country, Galicia ...) is given to
all regions, with which Catalonia demands a greater recognition of its
specificity.
The way to
Independence?
In 2010 the Catalan Parliament approves a new Catalan
Statute, by an absolute majority that comes into force, but which is later
annulled by the Spanish State, this means that since 2012 the Catalans see the independence
as only option for them, it is when the demonstrations begin and the political
movements that ended in the referendum of 1st October, with a great
victory for independence.
In the coming weeks we will have to see the reaction
of Spanish politicians, and the ability of Catalan politicians to keep their
promises ... or to betray the Catalan people to whom they have promised
independence.
Enric Ravello Barber
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