Catalan Political Evolution and the Commonwealth 1914-1925
During the second period of the Restoration, Catalanism in Catalonia managed to banish caciquisme and reached its first major work of government: the Commonwealth (1914-1925). The most important ideological work of political Catalanism, Catalan Nationality (1906) by Enric Prat de la Riba, explained that as a nation, Catalonia had the right to possess a state. He also defended the unity of Spain and the federal articulation of Catalonia.
Political Parties in Catalonia
Political representation in Catalonia was led by the conservative Regionalist League (1901), which emerged from the National Center and the Catalan Regionalist Union. The League suffered two divisions: one that gave rise to the Nationalist Republican Center (1906) and another which led to the creation of Catalan Action (1922). The movement was directed by Enric Prat de la Riba until his death in 1917, and subsequently by Francesc Cambó.
Left-wing Catalanism had a precedent in the figure of Domènec Martí i Julià, a physician and politician who presided over the Unió Catalanista while defending both national and social liberation for Catalonia. The formation of the Catalan Republican Party and Estat Català served as the germ for the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC).
The Commonwealth of Catalonia
The federation or Commonwealth of the Provincial Councils of Catalonia began in 1911 through the initiative of Enric Prat de la Riba, president of the Barcelona Provincial Council. In 1914, the Commonwealth of Catalonia was formed, and the leader of the League, Enric Prat de la Riba, was elected as its first president.
The powers of the Commonwealth were very meager because the State never transferred significant resources or services. The Commonwealth was essentially an attempt to concentrate and jointly manage the powers that the Catalan provinces already possessed. Although funding was very low, the work of the Commonwealth of Catalonia was extraordinary thanks to the enthusiasm of Enric Prat de la Riba until 1917, and later Josep Puig i Cadafalch.
Educational and Cultural Achievements
Among its different tasks, the educational and cultural work stood out. Regarding education, the Commonwealth saw the creation of the Summer School for Teachers and the construction of many school centers.
The Dictatorship of Primo de Rivera
The coup of Primo de Rivera had a significant undemocratic and anti-Catalan character. This period was marked by the prohibition of the public use of the Catalan language, the display of the national flag, and the dancing of sardanas.