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After almost three hundred years, the fight of the “independistas,” or those who believe in Catalonia’s independence from Spain, came down to one question printed on a ballot: “Do you want Catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic?”
On October 1, 2017, the Catalonian referendum took place in a turbulent and divided Spain. For many, the battle for independence was won in 1932, when the region’s leadership declared sovereignty as a Catalan Republic and Spain agreed to a state of autonomy. For many others however, this victory was just the beginning.
Once Francisco Franco rose to power in 1939, the glimmering victory of the nationalistas was all but crushed. The dictator destroyed all notions of a nation, language, and even culture separate from Spain. This Catalan catastrophe was swept under the massive wave of executions throughout Spain known as the White Terror, a political strategy by Spanish Nationalists to eliminate any threat to the ruling dictatorship during the Spanish Civil War.
Following Franco’s death, the fire for independence sparked again. Catalonia was eventually granted taxation powers in 2006, only to be shot down by the Spanish courts in 2010 under the rationale that Catalan was a “nationality” and Catalonia was not a “nation.”
Even as rubber bullets rained down and the movement’s powerful leaders were wretched from the crowds, swept past the wall of riot police, and forced into armored vehicles, Catalonian nationalism raged on. On October 10, Carles Puigdemont, Catalan independence leader, and other regional politicians signed a declaration of independence, but suspended its implementation to undergo discussions with Spain. Although last week’s referendum was declared illegal by the Spanish government, the document entreats “all states and international organisations to recognise the Catalan republic as an independent and sovereign state.”
Despite the intensity emanating from the region being felt globally, national leaders are uneasy with the way Madrid is handling the situation. Neighboring Spain to the north and sharing a border with rebelling Catalonia, France has made their opinions on the referendum clear. Not only does France refuse to recognize Catalonia’s bid for independence, it also insists the issue be managed between the respective governments of Spain and Catalonia with no intervention from other EU members. Germany nervously eyes the unfolding situation as well, having invested over half a billion euros in the autonomous region alone.
The reactions from Europe tack on a new list of concerns for an independent Catalonian state. With slacking support from EU members Catalonia risks losing its valuable and lucrative relationship with the European Union and NATO. The autonomous state may have all the dressings of an independent nation (national flags, a parliament, a head of state, police forces, quasi-embassies, public services like education and healthcare, etc.) but all of these are currently run by Madrid. An official and fully implemented separation from Spain would jeopardize the sustainability of these jobs and services in Catalonia. Also worth noting is Catalonia’s substantial debt. The Catalan government alone owes 77 billion euros, 35.4 percent of Catalonia's GDP. Of that, 52 billion euros is owed to the Spanish government.
In the case that Catalonia should successfully succeed from Spain, the region would immediacy drop from the Eurozone. The government could then after apply for the euro, but would first have to meet standard criteria, such as their percentage of debt not overwhelming their GDP. Even if Catalonia could fulfill the criteria, their entry would then have to be approved by the majority of existing EU countries, an unlikely occurrence given the autonomous state’s mounting unpopularity in Europe.
Thus, begs the question: Could Catalonia survive under the yoke of its own independence?
Whether greater fiscal responsibility or freedom to extend power into other sectors formerly forbidden, the extent of sovereignty granted to the Catalan government remains to be seen. The battle for independence is far from over. As events unfold, Catalonia will either adapt to the mounting pressure to succeed and strengthen its capabilities as a nation, or crumble under the weight of a world against it.
Photo credit
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
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The Catalan Referendum in Context
October 13, 2017
After almost three hundred years, the fight of the “independistas,” or those who believe in Catalonia’s independence from Spain, came down to one question printed on a ballot: “Do you want Catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic?”
On October 1, 2017, the Catalonian referendum took place in a turbulent and divided Spain. For many, the battle for independence was won in 1932, when the region’s leadership declared sovereignty as a Catalan Republic and Spain agreed to a state of autonomy. For many others however, this victory was just the beginning.
Once Francisco Franco rose to power in 1939, the glimmering victory of the nationalistas was all but crushed. The dictator destroyed all notions of a nation, language, and even culture separate from Spain. This Catalan catastrophe was swept under the massive wave of executions throughout Spain known as the White Terror, a political strategy by Spanish Nationalists to eliminate any threat to the ruling dictatorship during the Spanish Civil War.
Following Franco’s death, the fire for independence sparked again. Catalonia was eventually granted taxation powers in 2006, only to be shot down by the Spanish courts in 2010 under the rationale that Catalan was a “nationality” and Catalonia was not a “nation.”
Even as rubber bullets rained down and the movement’s powerful leaders were wretched from the crowds, swept past the wall of riot police, and forced into armored vehicles, Catalonian nationalism raged on. On October 10, Carles Puigdemont, Catalan independence leader, and other regional politicians signed a declaration of independence, but suspended its implementation to undergo discussions with Spain. Although last week’s referendum was declared illegal by the Spanish government, the document entreats “all states and international organisations to recognise the Catalan republic as an independent and sovereign state.”
Despite the intensity emanating from the region being felt globally, national leaders are uneasy with the way Madrid is handling the situation. Neighboring Spain to the north and sharing a border with rebelling Catalonia, France has made their opinions on the referendum clear. Not only does France refuse to recognize Catalonia’s bid for independence, it also insists the issue be managed between the respective governments of Spain and Catalonia with no intervention from other EU members. Germany nervously eyes the unfolding situation as well, having invested over half a billion euros in the autonomous region alone.
The reactions from Europe tack on a new list of concerns for an independent Catalonian state. With slacking support from EU members Catalonia risks losing its valuable and lucrative relationship with the European Union and NATO. The autonomous state may have all the dressings of an independent nation (national flags, a parliament, a head of state, police forces, quasi-embassies, public services like education and healthcare, etc.) but all of these are currently run by Madrid. An official and fully implemented separation from Spain would jeopardize the sustainability of these jobs and services in Catalonia. Also worth noting is Catalonia’s substantial debt. The Catalan government alone owes 77 billion euros, 35.4 percent of Catalonia's GDP. Of that, 52 billion euros is owed to the Spanish government.
In the case that Catalonia should successfully succeed from Spain, the region would immediacy drop from the Eurozone. The government could then after apply for the euro, but would first have to meet standard criteria, such as their percentage of debt not overwhelming their GDP. Even if Catalonia could fulfill the criteria, their entry would then have to be approved by the majority of existing EU countries, an unlikely occurrence given the autonomous state’s mounting unpopularity in Europe.
Thus, begs the question: Could Catalonia survive under the yoke of its own independence?
Whether greater fiscal responsibility or freedom to extend power into other sectors formerly forbidden, the extent of sovereignty granted to the Catalan government remains to be seen. The battle for independence is far from over. As events unfold, Catalonia will either adapt to the mounting pressure to succeed and strengthen its capabilities as a nation, or crumble under the weight of a world against it.
Photo credit
The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
