The Commonwealth of Catalonia: History and Impact

The Commonwealth of Catalonia: Formation and Challenges

In Madrid, there were differing opinions regarding the Commonwealth of Catalonia. The Conservative party was opposed, and even within the ruling Liberal party, opinions were divided. Some saw it favorably, while others did not. President José Canalejas agreed to the Commonwealth and committed to the Catalan cause. Unfortunately, Canalejas was assassinated before he could pursue this agreement, and the project was stalled. It was not until the following year, 1913, that the Conservative government of Eduardo Dato finally allowed the Catalan Commonwealth. The Commonwealth was established in April 1914.

The Constitution of the Commonwealth

The first president of the Commonwealth was Enric Prat de la Riba, and the Commonwealth was composed of 8 members, 2 from each council. However, the problem was that the Commonwealth was not transferred any competencies (i.e., power, decision-making power, etc.), and it did not have its own budget. The only budget it had was the sum of the budgets of the 4 councils. There was a lack of funds and competencies, which was the main problem.

Furthermore, the central government could dissolve or suspend the Commonwealth if deemed necessary. Therefore, the Commonwealth was merely an administrative unit. The Commonwealth was always directed by the Lliga Regionalista, which had the most political presence in the Assembly of the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth had 3 presidents: the first was Enric Prat de la Riba, who served until his death; the second was Josep Puig i Cadafalch; and the last president was a puppet president, Alfonso Sala, who was appointed by dictator Primo de Rivera to dismantle and destroy the Commonwealth.

The Commonwealth's Government Action

One goal of the Commonwealth was the modernization of Catalonia. This was pursued through two basic objectives: the first was the creation and improvement of infrastructure and services to support economic development, and the second was to implement a cultural and educational project to promote the Catalan language and culture. However, a significant lack of budget hampered these efforts.

Infrastructure and Services

Most of the budget was spent on infrastructure and services. Among the initiatives undertaken was a plan to improve the road network. Significant funds were also allocated to developing a telephone network and an efficient postal system. There was also an agricultural action plan aimed at modernizing the Catalan agricultural sector and increasing productivity in both agriculture and livestock. This involved the establishment of technical agricultural schools, the creation of experimental fields, and the promotion of agricultural cooperatives.

Culture and Education

The second objective was to create a wide range of public libraries. The Institut d'Estudis Catalans commissioned Pompeu Fabra to standardize Catalan spelling, culminating in the publication of Catalan dictionaries in 1932. Significant work was also done in preserving and cataloging Catalan cultural heritage. Finally, the Commonwealth promoted pedagogical renewal, introducing Maria Montessori's teaching methods in Catalan schools.

The Triple Crisis of 1917

During 1917, three significant crises coincided: a military crisis, a social crisis, and a political crisis.

(Index 100: The year was 1914/1915, where the prices of wages and consumption matched at 100, allowing for the observation of changes and the evolution of prices and wages).

The Impact of the First World War

Spain remained neutral during the Great War, a conflict that pitted the Germans and their allies (Central Powers) against the Allied Powers (Great Britain, France, and Russia).

Spain's neutrality allowed it to export a large number of products, and some countries were willing to pay very high prices for these products. This led to significant enrichment for Spanish business owners. While employers prospered, there was a situation of increasing poverty among the working classes. As seen in the graph, commodity prices were much higher than wages, leading to a worsening of the people's living standards. This resulted in a major strike movement in 1917.