Catalonia is separated from Spain! News of this has once again become popular. Large-scale rallies and voting are held. But why is Catalonia separated from Spain, and why is it for it?
November failures
In November 2014, the Congress of Deputies of Spain decided to refuse to hold a referendum on independence in Catalonia. According to the law of the kingdom, voting on the secession of any of the regions must be held throughout the country. At the same time, such a strict and complex procedure practically does not make it possible to implement it.
Exactly one year later, on November 9, the Parliament of the Autonomous Region of Catalonia adopted a resolution that formulated the main goal - "gaining independence from Madrid." The whole world started talking about the fact that Catalonia is separated from Spain. Is it true?
An action plan was developed to separate Catalonia from Spain by 2017. Residents need to form a government and adopt a new Constitution, after which their land will become officially free. However, in the elections in Catalonia, the majority of residents, aspiring to autonomy, spoke in favor of a united Spain.
Immediately after this, the Council of Ministers of Spain filed a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court, which in turn recognized the resolution of the autonomous republic as invalid. Once again, the attempts of the Catalans to secede from the Kingdom of Spain were unsuccessful. The Constitutional Court of the country annulled the resolution adopted on November 9, 2015. But nevertheless, the Government of Catalonia announced that it would continue to take all measures to achieve the intended goal. Why does Catalonia want to secede from Spain?
How it all began
For many years, the people of Catalonia have sought to maintain their independence, national uniqueness and cultural identity. But as a result of numerous bloody wars, he failed to defend his own freedom. Catalonia has been separated from Spain for more than three centuries. Why is this happening?
The history of Catalonia dates back to 988. Count Borrell II declared the freedom of his own lands from the French invaders and proclaimed his land as the county of Barcelona.
In 1137, there was a landmark unification of the county of Barcelona with the kingdom of Aragon. Catalonia is growing significantly in size, having established its power in the territory of present-day Italy, Andorra, France (southern part) and Valencia. Today , the native language of the inhabitants of the autonomous region of Valencia in Spain is slightly different from the Catalan, and some residents of this region consider themselves Catalans. At the same time, the population of Valencia does not want to acquire sovereignty.
Loss of sovereignty
The first loss of independence of Catalonia occurred as a result of the war of 1701-1714 between the heirs of the Spanish throne, Philip V and Charles VI of Habsburg. The victory of the first ended with the loss of the sovereignty of the feudal lords who made a bet on the Habsburgs. The national day of Catalonia, which is widely celebrated in the region during these years, is timed to coincide with this date.
From this stage, the long struggle of the Catalans for independence began. Repeatedly trying to gain sovereignty, the republic suffered many acts of intense and violent "Spanishization." This is one of the reasons why Catalonia wants to secede from Spain.
Spanish Civil War
The most successful chance of gaining independence was the civil war in 1871, which ended in the overthrow of the monarchy in Spain. Catalonia was recognized as autonomy. The fight against Franco turned into persecution for the indigenous Catalans. Many were forced to leave their homeland, fearing execution. Once again having lost the status of autonomy, Catalonia managed to return it only by 1979 thanks to the terrorist organization Terra Liura.
XXI Century. Declaration of sovereignty
In 2006, as a result of negotiations between the Parliament of Catalonia and the Spanish government of the Autonomous Region, additional rights were granted. They mainly concern the economic part. But this measure did not help to extinguish separatist sentiments among the Catalans, but only had the opposite effect.
In 2013, the people of Catalonia achieved a lot. They have their own nationality, celebrate their own holidays at the state level. Unlike throughout Spain, bullfighting is prohibited on Catalonia due to animal cruelty. They don’t dance flamenco here. The Catalan language is recognized as official, and all locals emphasized it deliberately prefer it to Spanish. A unique fact is that the Catalans have their own domain on the Internet, which is not found in any region or autonomy within any country.
The Declaration of Catalonia’s Sovereignty, adopted in 2013, only sparked a new wave of nationalist movements. And the economic crisis, exacerbating the financial situation of the Catalans, gave impetus to industrialization. Today this province is the most developed as part of Spain. Despite the fact that the population of Catalonia is only 1/7 of the total number of Spain, a little less than 50 percent of the industry of the kingdom is located on its territory. The tourism business is widely developed, providing Spain's GDP by 1/5.
Reasonable is the unwillingness of the Catalans to share with the unemployed Spaniards during the economic downturn. This is the main reason why Catalonia wants to secede from Spain.
You cannot leave
There is one, incredibly significant factor that makes the Catalans vote for unity with Spain. This is a membership in the European Union. Amazingly, this allows Spain to feel a little more confident in this battle for independence.
Disconnection from Madrid threatens Barcelona with the loss of ties with Brussels. This will automatically erase Catalonia from the EU, which will negatively affect all economic indicators of the region. And even if Madrid, which previously did not recognize Palestine, Kosovo, Abkhazia, or Crimea, nevertheless recognizes Catalonia as a separate independent state, it will take a long time before new contracts are signed and previous agreements are signed. The resources spent on negotiations, resolving all legal issues and drafting the necessary contracts will adversely affect the state of the economy and the financial well-being of every citizen of Catalonia.
Radical separatists do not attach due importance to this fact, calling for sovereignty. Holding rallies, marches and various agitation, the nationalists prepared for the referendum on November 9th.
It is possible but not
Officially, the Government of Spain allows the local authorities of Catalonia to consider and adopt a new resolution on sovereignty, but after its adoption and the next vote of the residents, it appeals to a court, which cancels this decision. Catalonia is not deprived of the constitutional right to hold a plebiscite and further separation, but is not allowed to use it to the end. It also causes a wave of discontent among residents and encourages them to fight.
Once again, the attempt to become a separate state failed. And it is worth paying attention to the fact that at the last referendum held 70% of the inhabitants of Catalonia voted "NO", thereby wishing to remain part of Spain. But a party was elected to the parliament of autonomy, the political course of which is set to disconnect and independence. This means that the process will not stop, and in the near future, perhaps, we will witness the birth of a new state. Whether Catalonia will separate from Spain, no one can say 100%. But time will tell.