Concept of education

1.INTRODUCTION

• TYPE OF TEXT: Primary source. As a regards the form, are the founding statutes of a nationalist social center, the first Batzoki of Bizkaia, it is a historical text; in the content, the subjects that are treated are social, political and cultural (religious), that later will suppose the most important ideological points of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV).

• AUTHOR: Sabino Arana, Father of Basque nationalism. In the doctrine of Arana 5 elements made up the nationality: race, language, privileges and laws, customs and traditions and historical identity. As a state model proposed a Basque confederation.

ADDRESSEE: Destined to the nationalists of Bilbao and in general to those of Bizkaia, to all those who were in agreement with the ideology of Sabino, therefore it is a public text, because they must necessarily know the bases of the organization.

• OBJECTIVE: Establish the rules of the first nationalist organization and summarize the main ideological axes of its founder.

• LOCATION AND DATE: The text is published in 1894 in Bilbao, in the capital of Bizkaia, where the ideology of Sabino Arana was strongest, in the period of the process of industrialization of Bizkaia, in the beginnings of Basque nationalism, in the first stage of the political activity of Sabino Arana.

2.CONTENT

The statutes of "Euskaldunen Batzokija" appear separated, distributed in articles:

1.ART: Origin of the Batzoki. Center for the free time of all the partners where the main objective will be to establish an atmosphere of union among the followers in Bizkaia of the motto JEL ("Jaun Goikoa eta Lege Zarra).

2.ART: There is news of the internal organization of the Basque Nationalist Party, where the most important institution will be the Bizkai Buru Batzarra, to which Batzokia will submit.

3-7.ART.: Definition and explanation of the JEL “Jaun Goikua eta Lege-Zarra” motto

3.ART: Jaungoikoa concept: remarkable importance of Catholicism, for all internal and external relations, the only religion of Bizkaia will be Catholic.

4.ART: Lagizarra concept: in favor of the recovery of Basque privileges as a means to recover the freedom of the Biscayans: formed by Basque families; Euskara as the official language, the Basque provinces forming the Basque nation: language, race, customs and traditions.

5.ART: “Eta” conjunction: indicates the union between the 2 previous elements

6-7.ART: Specify the relationship between the concepts Jaungoikua eta Lagizarra: 6ART:separation of political and religious sphere but 7.ART: makes clear the superiority of the religious sphere "The State will be completely and unconditionally subordinated to the Church".

8.ART: Idea about Euskal Herria de Sabino Arana: Composition: Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa, Araba, Nafarroa, Lapurdi and Zuberoa. Race, language, religion, character, and customs that will be the same in all territories. Mode of organization: Confederation, each province will have its own autonomy.

3.CONTEXT

In the context in which we find ourselves we must analyze the emergence of nationalism itself, both nationalist movements in the Spanish state, and Basque nationalism itself.

The end of the nineteenth century saw the rise of regionalism and nationalism in Spain, especially in the case of Catalonia, the Basque country and Galicia, which challenged the Restoration System and the centralist state that the liberal state had set up.

Regional diversity was strong in Spain, due to geographical and historical factors, Spanish nationalism was weak. The process of socialization in the traditions and language of the Spanish nation was imperfect. The Spanish nation was being created from the economically underdeveloped centre.

During the nineteenth century, the liberal state’s attempts to centralize administration and abolish the Fueros, its attack on the Church and disentailment laws led to direct conflict with the state and to two civil wars.

The abolition of the Fueros in 1876 was followed by profound economic and social changes, and the entire social and economic structure was shaken between 1870 and 1900s when Bizkaia underwent a rapid industrial revolution. This resulted in new social tensions and conflicts. Immigrant workers from other Spanish regions flooded into the Basque country, and from the 1890s began affiliating with the PSOE-UGT.

This produced a virulent reaction in traditional Basque circles.

In this context the figure of Sabino Arana appeared. The founder of Basque Nationalist Party, gathered all these ideas and sentiments and organized them: the Basques were a different race and had a different language, and had to regain its traditional fueros, which meant full sovereignty, and this was paramount to independence. Nationalism inherited many elements from Carlism: ultra-Catholicism and reaction against the transformation brought about by modernization. Arana thought that the only defence against all evils of the modern world (laicism, immigrants, industry.) was to cut all links to Spain and to reach full independence. His ideology was anti-liberal and anti-industrialization.

He published his firts book “Bizkaia por su independencia” in 1892. In 1893, he pronounced his first political speech in the celebration of the publication of his book. This speech “El discurso de Larrazabal” is thought to be the first elaboration of Arana`s political program. There, instead of the traditional Carlist motto “Jaungoikoa eta Foruak”, he pronounced the new one: “Jaingoikoa eta Lege Zaharra” (JEL) from which Jeltzale and jelkide derive.

He founded the Euskaldunen Batzokija in 1894, and the Bizkaia Buru Batzar in 1895. He founded the Basque Nationalist party (PNV) in 1895.

But other tendencies emerged in the nationalist realm, more favorable to the autonomist route and to the process of industrialization that was being lived in Bizkaia, led by Ramón de La Sota, and people from the environment of the Biscayan oligarchy, the group of "euskalerriacos" .

Both trends united when followers of Ramon de la Sota joined the party, and from then on, the tension between claims of independence and autonomy became a feature of the Basque Nationalist party. Arana himself changed his views on industrialization after this merger with the Euskalerriacos. Sabino died in 1903.

4.CONCLUSION/IMPORTANCE OF THE TEXT

We are facing an important document to know the ideology of Sabino Arana. In a few articles, the most important principles of Basque nationalism are summarized. As a main base of them religious fundamentalism and radical carlism. With this, the attitude of rejection of immigrants is remarkable.

Anyway, over time these attitudes are disappearing from the ideology of nationalism, to open up more to other social groups. The more traditional and rural positions of Sabino Arana will become much more open positions in the Party clashing with the principles of Sabino.

Sabino Arana died in 1903, but the party he founded will have a long life and will get good electoral results from then on. Bizkaia would always be the territory where the PNV would obtain the best results.