The Political Turmoil in Basque Country

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Basque Nationalism

For over decades, the Basque country has been in political turmoil with its bordering countries, which are both France and Spain. This conflict that has been troubling the region, is based on the Basque nationalist movement that has been campaigning for their independence. This transited territory has a strategic geographical location that links it to the northwest and center of Spain but also to other European countries. The Basque region covers over 20,000 square kilometers of both the French and Spanish territory. This thus is a key factor of why the Spaniards and other powerful countries are interested in this area. Nationalism has been a prominent historical movement in the region that has brought conflict but also unity to the Basque Country.

Basque nationalism, which is “a political movement advocating for the full independence of the Basque Country”, has been mostly supported in the Spanish territory rather than the French (Barnes, “Basque and Catalan Nationalism: An Evolution”). Throughout the country, two main groups have been publicly promoting nationalist ideas regarding their country. As Arnaldo Otegi stated, “the separatist group ETA has been campaigning for 34 years, claiming for their independence from Spain”. Unfortunately, they haven’t always been using peaceful ways to express their ideas and feelings on this delicate issue. They are responsible for the killings of hundreds of demonstrators.

“Foreign authorities such as the French, British, and Americans have named them terrorists” for all these crimes they’re accountable for (“World History: The Modern Era” 754). Another group that represent this ideology would be the Basque Nationalist Party, which was “established in 1895 in Bilbao by a journalist named Sabino de Arana y Goiri to contest local elections” (Britannica, “Basque Nationalist Party”). The party soon expanded to the entire country and gained influence. It “adopted a moderate Christian Democratic position, supporting a mixed economy and opposing free capitalism” (Britannica “Basque Nationalist Party”). After that the party gained influence, it won one-third of the electoral votes and appointed several members to the Spanish legislature in Madrid. After that the legislation granted the Basque Country autonomy in October 1936, the Basque Nationalist group formed an independent government. This then led them to “establish an alliance with Republican forces against General Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War” (Britannica, “Spanish Civil War”). Franco’s nationalist forces won this war and this was the beginning of his dictatorship that lasted for almost four decades.

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