Every year on September 11 the people of Catalonia celebrate a daylong festival called the National Day of Catalonia. This day is meant for Catalans to remember September 11, 1714, when the French Bourbons won the War of Spanish Succession and started to suppress Catalonia’s self government. Today, Catalans from all over the region gather on September 11 and have huge demonstration that calls for Catalan Independence. People from all over Catalonia gather and hold hands creating a human chain that stretches across the region. Very rarely do you see a group of people celebrate the loss of a war, usually people celebrate if they when win. The people celebrate this day to remember the independence they once had, and attempt to try and regain the independence they lost centuries ago. On this day Catalans show their national pride to the rest of the world, but this pride is not towards Spain it is for Catalonia. There is a very strong sense of nationalism in the region and the people want to become their own state. Many people have a mistaken belief for what nationalism actually is; nationalism is a feeling of loyalty people have toward their country or nation. Nationalism is generated when people have a similar history and culture but it is suppressed or combined with another culture. This is exactly what has happened in Catalonia for centuries and is why the nationalist movement is so powerful here. When you walk through the city of Barcelona you see how evident this is. The Catalans have their own language, their own culture, and their own symbols. Time and time again their culture has been repressed, whether it be by the French Bourbons or by the Franco regime. In this paper I will discuss Catalan nationalism and try to understand where it comes from and how it has evolved over time. Catalan nationalism is not a movement that has just popped up in recent years. It has been around for centuries and stems back to the unification of the crowns of Aragon and Castile. When Ferdinand and Isabella of got married in 1492, they unified their territories and created what today is modern day Spain. We can trace back the consolidation of Catalan and Spanish identity to as early as the thirteenth century. Throughout all of Europe there have been nationalists movements, but most do not trace back as far into history like the Catalan movement. In John Macinnes’s article about Catalan nationalism he writes, “Catalan nationalism is not an invented identity. For at least over 1,000 years, a given human community…has identified itself as a nation…organized around language and a shared history. Catalonia is not an imagined entity, but a constantly renewed historical product” (Macinnes 680). It is clear there is a lot of history and reason behind this movement of nationalism. The Catalans are suffering an identity crisis that stretches back hundreds of years. In the fourteenth century the Catalans had a lot of political and economic success and their culture started to thrive. The Catalan language came from Latin in the Middle Ages around the year 900. For almost five centuries the language and culture was dominant until the Kingdoms of Aragon and Castile combined. Over time their language and culture began to decline, which has in a sense unified the people of Catalonia. It is clear that Catalan nationalism is something that has been brewing for centuries and only continues to grow stronger as time goes on. Throughout history we have seen the Catalan culture repressed by different people. Francisco Franco was one of the most notable people to suppress the Catalans. In 1932, during the Second Spanish Republic Catalonia obtained their fist Statute of Autonomy. This allowed Catalonia to set up their own laws and political institutions as long as they complied with the rest of Spain. People were allowed to speak Catalan and their culture was on the upswing. Even though Catalonia was still not an independent state they were allowed to govern themselves under this Statue of Autonomy. In 1940, after Franco won the civil war this all changed. He imposed a Catholic Spain centered on the Spanish identity, not Catalan. In 1940, Franco banned the Catalan language and flag. He enforced Spanish symbols and tried to eliminate the entire Catalan culture from Spain. Although Franco was trying so hard to control population, this seemed to make people feel a stronger sense of their Catalan identity. They united against a common enemy, Franco. In an article about Catalan nationalism we see how Franco’s policies affected this movement, “Nationalism became a rallying cry for the anti-Franco forces in Catalonia…to the point that all democratic political forces…were Catalan nationalists as well…all political parties in Catalonia…were and are Catalan, not Spanish” (Macinnes 680). It seems that Franco’s repression only made the Catalans unite even more and have a stronger sense of pride. People would rally around Catalan left wing nationalist political parties such as the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC). During Franco’s dictatorship all the political parties were made illegal and thousands of Catalans were executed. The president of the ERC, Lluis Companys, was executed after Franco won the civil war. Franco did whatever he could to eliminate anyone that stood for Catalan independence or was against him. Because of this people stated to rally around other things in society to stand up against Franco, one of the most notable rallying grounds was on the football field.
Throughout Catalonia we see nationalism evident almost everywhere. At FC Barcelona football games it is very evident. When Franco was in charge he appointed the chairman and president of FC Barcelona so he could enforce his policies among the people. Franco used the club as a vehicle for a collective identity in Spain. FC Barcelona has become know as “more than a club.” The reason the club has obtained this motto is because it stands for much more than just a soccer team. Throughout Spanish history many rulers have suppressed Catalan nationalism, and FC Barcelona club has been a place where Catalans stand up and show their true identity. Camp Nou has been a place where people can express themselves and standup to leaders like Franco. In an article by Simon Kuper about FC Barcelona and nationalism he writes, “This club is ‘more than a club’ because many Catalans support is as a sort of psychological surrogate for the state they do not have. And most of them appear happy with that arrangement” (Kuper). Because Catalans do not have their own nation they use Barcelona to represent them. At Camp Nou we see people waving Catalan independence flags and singing Barca chants in their Catalan language. The FC Barcelona team stands for Catalan independence and is a place where people can be proud. After Barcelona wins a trophy, players and fans gather at Plaza Sant Juame and chant “Visca el Bara, visca Catalunya,” which means “Barca wins, Catalonia wins.” (Kuper) Catalan nationalism could not be more evident here, and is obviously very dominant in FC Barcelona’s identity.
In Spain, the Catalan nationalist movement is not the only nationalism movement that is happening. There is also the Basque nationalist movement, which has some of the same core principals as the Catalan, but also has some big differences. At the core the two movements are very similar, both the Basques and Catalans have their own language, culture, histories, symbols, and economies. Both also have an identity crisis and do not see themselves as Spanish. The Basques and the Catalans both operate under a Statute of Autonomy, which gives them some fundamental governing powers, but they are still not an official independent state. When Spain transitioned into a democracy the two regions gained a lot of control over their health and education systems, but still not total control. There are also some major differences between the two movements. The first big difference is there are three Basque speaking provinces that have different feelings towards the nationalist movements. There is the Spanish Basque autonomy and the Navarre autonomy which both generate strong support for the Basque nationalism movement; there is also the French Basque community where support for the movement seems to be very low. These regions seem to have different feelings on nationalism based on there histories.
Another major difference between the Basque and Catalan movements is the Basque movement has created a terrorist group. Basque nationalism has created a terrorist group called Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA). In English this means Basque Homeland and Freedom. The Basque nationalists seem to be more separatists and extremist than Catalan nationalists. Since the creation of ETA in 1958 they have killed over eight hundred people. The group targets political figures with the goal of establishing an independent Basque state. The terrorist group was formed during the Franco dictatorship at a time when Franco, which generated a lot of support for the cause, was repressing them. Since Spain transitioned to a democracy support for the group has fallen. There has also been a terrorist group, Terra Lliure, associated with Catalan nationalists, but it was not nearly as violent as ETA and did not last very long. Terra Lliure was formed in 1978, after the Franco dictatorship, with a similar goal as ETA, to form an independent Catalan state. The group has killed one person and injured dozens. In 1995 the group fell apart and the members joined the ERC political party. The Basque and Catalan movements do have a lot in common but overtime it seems that Catalan nationalism has been a lot more peaceful than the Basques. In addition, the Basques seem to be more willing to negotiate with Spain, while the Catalans just want full independence. By comparing the two nationalist movements we can see the different, yet similar, ways they are going about their independence.
In 1978 after the death of Franco and the approval of the Spanish constitution, the Catalan government, the Generalitat, was put back into place. The second Statute of Autonomy was approved and Catalonia again had the power to govern themselves, to some extent. Just like the first Statute of Autonomy this gave authority to the Catalans to have a parliaments, a president, and to have there own laws. The Generalitat was able to make decisions about Catalan culture, the economy, commerce, and much more. They made Catalan an official language, which means that it is used in education and in the media. This started to bring back the Catalan culture that was suppressed by Franco. In addition, Catalonia was allowed to have political parties again, most of which are Catalan nationalist parties that want an independent Spain. Again in 2006 another referendum was passed that increased the powers of the Generalitat. The new referendum extended Catalonia’s powers in health, education, justice, and much more; it continued to increases Catalonia’s power to self govern. Although, this referendum was passed Catalonia is still not the independent state they want to be.
Catalan nationalism is evident everyday if you walk around the city. Thousands of Catalan independent flags wave from people’s balconies. You hear the people speaking their own language; they have their own art, architecture, music, and much more. It is very evident that the Catalans have their own history and culture and deserve to be their own independent state, separate from Spain. Over time they have been combined and the Catalan identity has been disrupted yet it is still so prevalent today. Over the centuries their culture has developed into a unique identity that represents the people. This is what makes Catalan nationalism movement so strong. It is inspired by centuries of history that defines the group of people, and it is the reason they want to become their own nation. This past September on the National Day of Catalonia over 1.6 million people met and formed a three hundred mile human chain that supported Catalan independence, the biggest demonstration to date. As time goes on it seems that the nationalist movement will continue to grow and dominate debates among the people. The Catalan government continues to grow and gain more power. Catalans are extremely proud of their identity and they want to finally be the independent nation they once were thousands of years ago. With the nationalist movement spreading it seems likely that in the near future Catalonia will become an independent state.