Spain's Regional Nationalisms: Catalan and Basque Origins

The Rise of Regional Nationalisms in Spain

Catalan Political Nationalism

Catalan political nationalism emerged during a six-year period, advocating for democratic federalism and an integrated Catalonia within a Spanish federal state. The Catalan union sought to unify various trends around the nationalist bourgeoisie. This movement was notably illustrated and promoted by the conservative Manresa Bases of 1892, a foundational document that outlined the first program explicitly including a conservative Catalan statute. However, it wasn't until 1901 that Catalonia's first political party, the Regionalist League, was formed.

Basque Political Nationalism

Basque political nationalism defended lost historical rights and vehemently rejected the industrialization process, capitalism, and fierce centralism. Its proponents often blamed immigrants for the perceived degeneration of the Basque race. The key ideologue of Basque political nationalism was Sabino Arana, who founded the Vizcaya provincial board, the origin of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV). Arana also designed the Ikurriña, the Basque flag. From 1898 onwards, Basque nationalism encompassed a spectrum from radical independence movements to the integration of the Basque Country as an autonomous entity within Spain.

Factors Driving Peripheral Nationalisms

Peripheral nationalisms, including those with moderate aims like creating their own institutions and more radical goals such as achieving independence, were fueled by several key factors:

• Cultural Revival

  The existence of cultural movements that sought to rescue indigenous customs and reclaim the collective memory of each region, often idealizing its past.

• Critique of Centralism

  A strong critique of the uniform state centralism and liberal-liberalism that imposed a Spanish nationalism, particularly in Catalonia and the Basque Country, following the Carlist Wars.

• Political Duality

  The presence of a two-pronged anti-centralist sentiment: a liberal, federalist, and republican progressive current, alongside a conservative desire to recover old rights.

• Economic Transformation

  Industrialization and significant economic changes played a crucial role. The bourgeoisie of the peripheral regions championed protectionism against the liberal economic measures adopted by the central government. This led to Catalonia's development far surpassing that of the rest of the country. In the Basque Country, rapid changes caused a massive influx of immigrants from other parts of Spain.