The Catalan question
Nicolas P-M
The Catalan question is a constitutional dispute over whether the autonomous region of Catalonia should gain independence from Spain. This matter has been and remains extremely contentious; the desires of Catalonia clash with Spain's interest in maintaining its national integrity. In recent years, this dispute and the driving force behind it have reached a zenith, with illegal referendums and growing fervour in the region, making a resolution is now more difficult than ever. 1 A mutually beneficial resolution is theoretically possible; however, owing to polarization, as well as ongoing political change and resistance, it seems as if this will never happen. How has such a keen sense of Catalan nationalism developed into what it is today? Spain was formally united as a state under one crown in 1479 2 though the constitutional system of Catalonia (along with those of Aragon, Valencia and the Balearics) remained separate. During this age, Catalonia was the most robust region in Spain, holding perhaps the most advanced constitutional system on the continent. By 1716, this constitutional system was abolished, and Catalonia, as a result, developed a quite recalcitrant attitude, as it had been submerged within the rest of the country. Nationalism also stems from their language and cultural identity. The spoken dialect of the region – Catalan – flourished in the eighth century, a period when populations remained relatively shut off and isolated; the language now extends over an area of 70,000km2 and has around 14 million native speakers. 3 Late in the 19 th and early in the 20 th centuries, ‘political Catalanism’ grew in popularity, and there was a ‘renaxeinça’ (renaissance) which held a lot of support across Catalonia, i.e. industry. 4 This was a revivalist movement of the Catalan language and culture, one which caused problems in Catalunya, as widespread protests directed towards administrative centralization, fuelled by a new sense of nationalism, became frequent and caused the split of the Spanish conservative party. By 1922, the first relevant Catalan independence party, ‘Estat Català’, was formed, although this new sense of autonomy would soon be halted by Franco's victory in the Spanish Civil War. With fascist leader Franco at the helm, all Catalan autonomy ceased. Franco wanted a strong unified Spain, which in practice was a totalitarian one-party state. 5 Franco isolated the Spanish economy by prohibiting international trade. 6 Catalonia, the heartland of industry, was thus extremely affected. He also heavily dented their national pride by restricting their culture and repressing the Catalan language. Once Franco died in 1975, the new 1 Centre for International Relations and Sustainable Development (CIRSD), ‘Catalan Independence,’ Horizons , Spring 2023, Issue No. 23, accessed July 28, 2025, https://www.cirsd.org/en/horizons/horizons-spring-2023---issue- no23/catalan-independence. 2 McRoberts, K. 2001. Catalonia: Nation Building Without a State. Oxford 3 Generalitat de Catalunya, ‘Origins and History,’ Catalan Language , last updated September 20, 2019, accessed August 8, 2025, https://llengua.gencat.cat/en/el-catala/origens-i-historia/index.html. 4 Payne, S. 1971. ‘Catalan and Basque Nationalism’, Journal of Contemporary History 6.1: 15–51. Accessed August 8, 2025. http://www.jstor.org/stable/259622 . 5 The Week . ‘Franco’s Shadow Hangs Over Catalonian Independence Debate.’ The Week , last updated November 22, 2017. Accessed August 9, 2025. https://theweek.com/in-depth/89866/franco-s-shadow-hangs-over-catalonian- independence-debate. 6 Ibid.
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