Basque Government 1945: Exile, WWII, and Franco Recognition

Basque Government in Exile: The 1945 Mandate

This text was written by the Basque Government in 1945. It is a non-legal text due to the government's exile in France. The document articulates their primary interest: defeating Franco's regime and restoring democracy in Spain.

The Spanish Civil War and Regional Divisions

At the beginning of the Civil War, elections were held to choose the Spanish government. The results varied significantly across the provinces of the Basque Country:

• In some areas, the PNV (Basque Nationalist Party) won.
• In other places, Socialist parties were victorious.

Military Uprising and Basque Loyalties

Despite the democratic results, military forces opposed the outcome and launched a military uprising in favor of Franco and his dictatorship. Regional responses within the Basque territories were divided:

• Gipuzkoa and Biscay strongly opposed Franco's regime.
• Álava and Navarre showed less strong opposition.

This difference in loyalty resulted in varying treatment from Franco's regime later on. The formation of the Basque Government was only possible due to the unwavering support given by Biscay and Gipuzkoa to the Republic until the military uprising, as the Republic had agreed to recognize the Basque Country's autonomy once the Civil War concluded.

Seeking International Support from Exile

When this text was written, the Basque Government was operating from exile in Bayonne, France. They were fundamentally opposed to any authoritarian government, including Franco's. Their aim was to continue organizing activities to restore democracy in Spain.

They attempted to secure support from other political groups and democratic European countries. However, a major obstacle was that these potential allies were heavily involved in fighting World War II against the Axis powers (led by Hitler and Mussolini).

Basque Involvement in WWII and British Warnings

In an effort to achieve their goals and align themselves with democratic forces, the Basques formed a large battalion to fight in WWII. Due to the sheer size of this force, Britain issued a warning that such a large group of Basques might antagonize Franco, suggesting they should divide into smaller groups.

The Vanishing Hope for Restoration

In conclusion, the Basque Government sought international support to fight against Franco and restore democracy. While they supported the democracies during WWII hoping to obtain reciprocal support later, global politics intervened.

The polarization of the world following WWII and the subsequent negotiations between the United States and Franco's regime regarding military bases in Spain ultimately led to the international recognition of the dictatorship. Consequently, any hopes the Basque Government held for restoring democracy vanished.