Recent headlines have put the tiny Reunification with Spain movement in front of stateside news hounds again. Meanwhile, less attention is being paid to the multiple independence movements that Spain faces within its own borders: Catalonia, Galicia, the Canary Islands, and the Basque region all have separatist movements. The Basque independence movement was, in the 20th century, stronger than that of Catalonia, and is still part of Spanish Basque culture today.
Independence movements in Spanish history
Spain is not new to separatist movements. The Kingdom of Spain was established in 1492, when the Muslim section of what is now Spain fell to the combined states of Aragon and Castile, which had been united by the marriage of their respective sovereigns. The Kingdom of Spain went on to colonize much of the world, but eventually faced independence movements in most New World colonies, including those in Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, and the Philippines, as well as in Europe. Spain lost all its New World colonies, including Puerto Rico, following the Spanish-American War about 400 years after the founding of the Kingdom of Spain.
Catalonia, which was brought under Spanish rule in 1742, voted in 2014 and 2017 to become independent from Spain once again. Spain responded with a crackdown on the separatist movement, but “The pro-independence movement in Catalunya is stronger than it was before the procés started in 2012, and it will continue to survive, probably until hell freezes over,” said Oriol Bartomeus, a professor in Barcelona.
Lessons on Independence from Catalonia
Galicia, an autonomous community of Spain (like a state in the United States), has an independence movement which began in Cuba and Argentina in the 1920s and has been characterized by violence and a lack of support in elections. It may be comparable to the independence movement in Puerto Rico. The Canary Islands, where the independence movement is known as The Movement for the Self-Determination and Independence of the Canary Archipelago, has shown a similar pattern.
Spain is also currently in a controversy with Great Britain over Gibraltar. which has been in the possession of the United Kingdom since 1713. Residents of Gibraltar voted overwhelmingly in 1967 and 2002 to remain with Great Britain. Spain has claimed since 1965 that Britain is illegally occupying Gibraltar, and has been trying to get it back since that time. Spain has never made any effort to reclaim Puerto Rico.
The Basque Country
Another autonomous community in Spain, the Basque Country, is home to two million people who speak Euskadi, a language quite different from Spanish. The Basque language is older than the proto-IndoEuropean language from which other European languages descended. The Basque people were colonized by the Roman Empire and experienced changing borders for centuries before Spain succeeded in taking over its part of the Basque Country in the 1500s. The remainder is part of France.
A group called Basque Euskadi Ta Askatasuna fought violently for independence from Spain for decades before disbanding in 2018. In that year, following the example of Catalonia, the Basque Country held a referendum on independence. The result was very different, though, with just 14% voting in favor of independence.
The level of violence in the independence group is thought to have made the independence movement less popular, but during General Francisco Franco’s rule in Spain, extreme suppression of the group as well as grave oppression of the wider population made the idea of remaining part of Spain seem intolerable to many. Franco’s rule is often cited as the reason why there is an independence movement in Spanish Basque country but not in France. The last executions of Basque separatists took place in 1975, the same year in which Franco died. The sign above marks the 50th anniversary of the occurrence.
The separatists continued to use violent tactics even as Spain developed a new constitution in 1978 that recognized the Basque Country’s language and culture and provided greater autonomy and home rule. The combination of these factors decreased support for independence. At its peak, support for independence reached about 44%, but now it is closer to 22%. The remains of the separatist movement grew into a current political party which calls for greater autonomy but not necessarily for independence.
Still, a sense of cultural nationalism is very strong in the Basque Country. In 2024 a survey asked the Basque people of Spain whether they felt more Basque or more Spanish. While the most popular answer was “Equally Basque and Spanish,” the second most popular answer was “More Basque than Spanish” and the third was “Only Basque.” The last two answers had been reversed in the 20th century, and “Only Basque” was slightly ahead of “Equally Spanish and Basque” in 1997. It is widely felt that Basque people consider themselves a nation, much as Puerto Ricans often do, even though most would not accept independence if it were offered as an immediate change of status.
Spain has allowed the Basque Country greater autonomy and home rule than most of its autonomous communities, and the Basque region is, like Catalonia, one of the most prosperous parts of Spain. Unlike Catalonia, the Basque Country keeps most of the local taxes it collects, making a regular payment to Madrid to cover national expenses. Catalonia, which is responsible for 20% of the economy of Spain, does not have such a comfortable arrangement, and the Kingdom of Spain could not afford to give up the taxes collected in Catalonia.
While there has been a history of oppression of the Basque people in Spain, independence does not offer obvious practical benefits over continuing as a district of Spain. Basque nationalism now tends to focus on maintenance of the language and historic culture of the region, more than on political action. As a Reddit answer put it, “[U]nder the Spanish constitution, Basque language, culture and society is protected and guaranteed, thus making independence senseless.”
Imperialist Spain?
Spain has a history of being more repressive toward its autonomous communities than the U.S. federal government is toward its states. Washington has never, for example, cracked down on Texas secessionists or rescinded rights held by states as punishment for political disagreements. Both nations have had civil wars, but only the United States continues to hold colonies; Spain gave up its empire more than a century ago.
However, this is only the case if we ignore the separatist movements and independent feelings in the regions which Renaissance Spain absorbed, including the Basque Country. Spain has autonomous communities (states) which generally speak languages other than Spanish and consider themselves culturally distinct from Spain. The Basque Country is a clear example.
Still, Spain has made no attempt to extend its influence beyond its geographic borders in modern times. Even the effort to regain ownership of Gibraltar focuses on land contiguous with modern Spain. The idea that Spain might agree to reabsorb Puerto Rico — particularly with almost no support in Puerto Rico and complicated histories in several regions of Spain — continues to be highly implausible.
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