Sabino Arana and the Basque Nationalist Party Origins

The Birth of the Basque Nationalist Party

This text gives birth to the Basque Nationalist Party. Sabino Arana wrote his political ideology in this text. His main ideas were that Bizkaia will be Catholic and Roman Apostolic, and Bizkaia will be an independent state. Although the state belongs to the church, he proposes the separation between state and church. The three provinces will be together in a federal and independent state as they share the same race, faith, personality, and customs.

Historical Context: Carlist Wars and Industrialization

The liberal army defeated the Carlists on February 28, 1876. This gave the chance to reduce Basque privileges and to assert the unity of the Spanish state. When the Carlist War ended, Bizkaia underwent a deep economic change as the exploitation of the iron mines started. With the profit from the iron trade, Biscay's industrialization began. The development of Basque industry brought tensions and conflicts into Basque society. Immigrants from other Spanish regions flooded into the Basque Country. This produced a virulent reaction in traditional Basque cities. The founder of the Basque Nationalist Party, Sabino Arana, gathered all these ideas and sentiments and organized them.

The Pillar of Religion: God and Salvation

One of the mainstays of the Nationalist Party was the Catholic religion. One of Arana’s aims was the salvation of Basque souls. He thought immigrants were a bad influence for Basques, as they brought immorality and were against the religion, as many of them began affiliating with the PSOE-UGT, which was a non-Catholic political party.

The Old Law: Fueros and Independence

Sabino justified the independence of the Basque Country with the ancient charters. Arana considered that the Basque Country had been an independent country when the fueros were in force. So, he used the term "Old Law" instead of "privileges," as he believed that fueros were the rights Basque people had enjoyed for ages before Spain was born. Sabino wanted independence for the Basque Country. He dreamt about a peasant society without immigrants and with only the Basque language.

Division Between God and the Old Law

He set the relationship between the church and the state. He was against the church taking part in politics; however, he thought the laws should be written according to the Catholic religion. Arana’s first political project was only for Bizkaia. Later, he started speaking about a federal state for all the Basque provinces with the same race, language, religion, customs, and personalities.

Conclusion: The Legacy of Arana’s Ideology

In the text, Arana expresses his political ideology, which was born a hundred years ago. Although the Basque Nationalist Party hasn’t rejected some of Arana’s unacceptable ideas, the party has been in power for many years and none of these ideas has come into force.