On Oct. 27, the government of Catalonia, an autonomous community in the northeast of Spain, formally declared independence, even after its Oct. 1 referendum on independence was declared unconstitutional by the Spanish Supreme Court in September.
Despite the ruling – and Spanish police being ordered to seize ballot boxes – the Catalan government continued preparations for the referendum with a clever logistical covert operation, so successful, that despite the efforts of the Spanish state to stop it, thousands of polling stations were open on Oct. 1. Confrontation resulted in 900 people treated in hospitals.
Legal or not, the referendum was a demonstration of 2 million Catalonian voters rejecting the status quo, or roughly 37 percent of eligible voters in Catalonia. On Oct. 27, the Republic of Catalonia was formally declared.
Just a few hours later, it became clear that the Republic was still out of reach. The president of Catalonia immediately left for Belgium in a self-imposed exile. The rest of the Catalonian government disbanded and was swiftly sent to prison by the Spanish judicial authorities, and a direct constitutional rule was imposed.
People should not be left with the impression that this means the end of the republican dream for Catalonia. Quite the opposite: The measures of the Spanish state to suppress secession are likely to provide more fuel in the long run to the independence movement.
Catalans’ desire for independence runs deep. They have a distinct language, a territorial demarcation that can be traced to medieval times and unique historical institutions.
Catalonia has its origins in the 8th century, when Charlemagne created a buffer zone against the Muslims. The territories were given to noble warriors in exchange for their military action, and the region went on to enjoy an unusual degree of autonomy. The county of Barcelona soon became the most influential, eventually gaining full independence from the Francs before becoming part of the kingdom of Spain.
Autonomy for Catalonia was reinstated in the early 20th century only to be brutally dismantled with the arrival of the dictatorial regime of Francisco Franco. The Catalan language was proscribed from the public sphere and historical institutions were suppressed. In 1978, when Spain transitioned into the new democratic regime, Catalonia saw its institutions reinstated. The Catalan language revived and the region surged as Spain’s most prosperous.
Among the longstanding grievances that Catalonia has, two stand out: the deficit and corrupt practices of the Spanish government. Most Catalans today believe they pay more than their fair share to the central government. They also believe the degree of prosperity and autonomy they have could be much improved. Catalonia, the wealthiest region of Spain, is a net contributor to the central state.
Polls show that today, 68 percent of all Catalonians favor the new elections as a way to move forward. What I want for Catalonia and Spain after the next election, Dec. 21, is that Catalonia finds a way to live as a proud – and autonomous – nation within Spain.
(15) comments
Catalonia seems to be satisfied with their decision to be independent from Spain, especially since 68% of the population favor the new elections. Before Catalonia attained its independence from Spain it already seemed to be autonomous. Catalonia has their own language, historical institutions, and territory. I agree with the author and hope Catalonia can survive as its own independent society.
I believed that if you keep on the fair mark and righteous action in thee end you gain your reward. It is not easy to fight, for the the human right some individuals dream in the Catalonia city. The fight against one of the powerful nation like Spain, which they are trying to get their voices heard. The Mexicans had to fight till death to gain independence from them, and did the rest of the central America. This people are fighting for something valuable and that is the freedom to choose their own government that is not the new democratic regime that Spain is opposing. The corruption of the government of Spain will some how not stop, but one thing this people of Catalonia will do is gain respect and find freedom from this dictatorship their in now. I hope to God that the effort of this Catalonia peoples will keep strong to gain their desires they are looking for.
Catalonia is the wealthiest region of Spain, yet its people believe they are highly taxed by the central government. In addition to the high taxes to their region, the Catalonian people also suffer from corruption from the Spanish government. Catalonia’s efforts in becoming independent is understandable, but maybe independence is not the answer. I believe there is still hope for a compromise, if the Spanish government can lower the tax percentage on the Catalonian people and somehow fix the corruption in the region then maybe the Catalonian people will have no need for independence.
Catalonia is the wealthiest region of Spain, yet its people believe they are highly taxed by the central government. In addition to the high taxes to their region, the Catalonian people also suffer from corruption from the Spanish government. Catalonia’s efforts in becoming independent is understandable, but maybe independence is not the answer. I believe there is still hope for a compromise, if the Spanish government can lower the tax percentage on the Catalonian people and somehow fix the corruption in the region then maybe the Catalonian people will have no need for independence.
The Catalonian dream of one day becoming a republic is very honorable. However, for the dream to become a reality they need a strong leadership that would be able to negotiate with the Spanish judicial authorities. Within a few hours of the declaration of the Republic of Catalonia its “President” abandoned his people and fled to Belgium and its government was dismantled and sent to prison. As Professor Gutierrez states, “Catalans’ desire for independence runs deep”. I would like to see a Catalonian leadership that is willing to withstand adversity and smartly negotiate its terms.
The Catalonian dream of one day becoming a republic is very honorable. However, for the dream to become a reality they need a strong leadership that would be able to negotiate with the Spanish judicial authorities. Within a few hours of the declaration of the Republic of Catalonia its “President” abandoned his people and fled to Belgium and its government was dismantled and sent to prison. As Professor Gutierrez states, “Catalans’ desire for independence runs deep”. I would like to see a Catalonian leadership that is willing to withstand adversity and smartly negotiate its terms.
While I believed that is best for both the Spanish and Catalan government to come to an agreement in which both governments benefit, I also agreed with the author of this article which believes that the poorly manner in which the Spanish government has dealt with the Catalan has fueled the Catalan's desire for an independent democratic nation. This is because the Spanish government instead of hearing and having a dialogue with the Catalan government, they acted undemocratic by not allowing Catalonia to move forward with their secession. This I believed has planted the seed for a future Catalan country.
while i truthfully believe that the best solution to this matter is for both Spain and Catalonia to come to an agreement that would benefit both, i also believe that the poor handling of the situation by the Spanish government has aggravated the current relation that Catalonia and Spain are currently experiencing. The Spanish government has acted poorly because instead of trying to have a conversation with the Catalan government, they have opted for suppressing it, showing the lack of leadership and democracy that the Catalan government seeks. for this reason i am in pair with the author of such article and believe that Catalonia might be closer to its independence than we think.
I wasn't very aware about the recent problems that were going on between Catalonia and Spain. I had to do some research to really understand this article. So I agree with the other person who mentioned that the brief description was too brief. Other than that this was a good article. It seems like Catalonia hasn't felt like a part of Spain for many years. But I agree with you, I hope that Spain and Catalonia can resolve their issues.
I don't think there is one side to blame. Catalonia and Spain have a deep history together. It is a great area with its own special qualities. I would like to see Catalonia and Spain thriving. For that to happen, Catalonia and Spain should make a deal with each other. Catalonia deserves it. By doing so, they can live in unity.
I don't think there is one side to blame. Catalonia and Spain have a deep history together. It is a great area with its own special qualities. I would like to see Catalonia and Spain thriving and the way to do so is making a good deal with each other. I believe if they worked things out, they would both thrive.
Catalina trying to become independent from Spain has many pro and cons. Not saying that its impossible for Catalina to be independent but there is a process that can take up to years and decades for any such change. Reading the short article its mentioned that Catalina is one of the wealthiest region in Spain. And only about 37% of people voted for the change and 2 million other rejected it. I would like to see Spain and Catalina coming together and finding a solution were both parties agree and are happy. At the end of the day I'm sure that Catalina and Spain both need each other in one form or another.
If we take into consideration the movement of Catalonia wanting to become independent from Spain just like California from the USA it can happen but has it has to involve laws, rules and regulations which need to be followed. Catalonia is a powerful region in Spain just as California is to the USA because of various economical contributions but there has to be a process through various years or decades and cannot happen within months. The reason for this I think is because Spain can suffer economically and would not be the same and putting other countries to suffer economically because of a shift in economy happening quickly. I hope Catalonia and Spain come for agreement that will benefit both parts but as well as the countries surrounding them.
I agree with most of the article, but I agree even more with Angel.
I think Spain government could have done something else many months ago and not wait until the government of the autonomous community of Catalonia crossed the line of the law. Saying so, the blame is not in one side or the other. Both sides are responsible in different ways, of today’s inestability in Catalonia. There are not reasanable people that can sit on the same table to discuss. I think the Spanish government is lacking of a strategist politician to go far and beyond of situations like this and I think Catalonian's polititians are not looking at the great picture and I dare to say that they are even narrow minded, some are close to be nationalists in the bad sense of the word.
Juan Jose article is great, but there is much information missing that could have made the whole picture clearer. The brief history of Catalonia is too brief. You don’t see the complexity of the history of Spain in that parragraph; you don’t see the links that are between that part of Spain and the others. The article does not say why Catalonia is one of the richest parts of Spain. Catalonia has been an important part on the creation of Spain as a country. Catalonia is a great and unique part of Spain, but also other parts of Spain are unique and great in different way. Each autononous communities have their own problems and peculiarities, but like humans they are not better or worse than others.
I too want to see that Catalonia is happy within Spain and Spain is happy with Catalonia.
Only 37% of all eligible voters want full independence. Most Catalonians, often not as vocal as the pro-independence part, would like a better deal within Spain. Catalonia and California compare in that both are net givers, wealthy regions. We are less bothered about providing more than we receive than those in Catalonia looking for full independence, and Spain just like the US with California will not be OK with secession. Catalonia will be less wealthy and happy if it ever becomes independent. So instead, I wish them to feel more comfortable in Spain. Besides, a new little nation in Europe today makes no sense at all.
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