Catalonia vs. Spain: The Full Story

In a battle that’s lasted almost 10 millenniums, a group of rogue Catalan politicians once again build their fight against the oppressive Spanish government. This clash has been plastered all over international news outlets and is proving to be quite a controversial topic. Due to the sheer magnitude of influence that this case could have on the world, it is no surprise that people from all over the world, alongside Spaniards and Catalans, have strong opinions about what should happen.

One of the 17 autonomous communities in Spain, Catalonia (Cataluña in Spanish, Catalunya in Catalan) is located in the northeastern part of Spain bordering France and Andorra. It is most known for the popular tourist destination, Barcelona, a metropolis city and the capital of the region. However, if you were ever to visit this part of Spain you would not hear the people conversing in the language which we call Spanish; instead, the people of Catalonia speak Catalan. This is only one of the many reasons Catalonia wants to become an independent country. Catalonia is disparate from the rest of Spain in many ways; its language and culture, as well as economic and political issues, are all factors causing this dissonance.

First, a brief recount of the history of Catalonia and its role in Spain: Catalonia was initially an independent region with its own laws, language, and culture. In 1137, the betrothal of Count Ramon Berenguer IV of Catalonia and Petronilla, Queen of Aragon, officially unified these territories under one ruler. Moving 300 years forward, in the 1400’s, the Counts of Barcelona have vanished, and the House of Trastámara has imposed their King on the region of Aragon. During 1462-72, an unsuccessful rebellion occurred against King John II of Aragon (and Navarre), a member of the House of Trastámara, sparking the marriage of King John II’s son, Ferdinand and the princess of Castile, Isabella I. This wedding of Los Reyes Católicos (the Catholic Monarchs), as they came to be known, was essentially responsible for the unification of Spain. Even though Spain was now united, Catalonia maintained its right to independent self-government and the Generalitat de Catalunya, or the Government of Catalonia. Over the next 500 years, Catalonia went through multiple separatist and nationalist movements, until finally in 1932 when Catalonia was granted the statue of autonomy. That is not to say that this issue ended here. Again in 1939, when the Nationalist party won the Spanish Civil War (1936-39), and a fascist, Francoist Spain was born, General Francisco Franco took control of Catalonia. However, after his death in 1975, democracy returned to Spain along with limited autonomy for Catalonia. Since that time, Catalonia’s demands for independence have kept growing, and the economic crisis in Spain has led Catalans to a breaking point now in 2017. This lack of fulfillment continues to develop, and this possible official separation of Catalonia and Spain signals a changing Europe and world as a whole.

There is a multitude of reasons that Catalonia sees itself as different from Spain starting with the most basic difference: language. Unlike the general perception, the whole of Spain does not speak Castillian Spanish – the language of the kingdom of Castile – or Castellano, which most synonymously refer to as Spanish. Other dialects spoken in Spain include Basque, Galician-Portuguese, Occitan, and Catalan. Catalan, the primary language in Catalonia, might seem to be very similar to Spanish; however, it is quite as different as Portuguese is to Spanish, for example. Although many Catalans have grown up speaking Castillian Spanish alongside Catalan, Spaniards from other parts have not done the same with Catalan. Since Catalans have always been fiercely proud of their distinct, separate language, this inequality has constantly bedeviled them – even though Catalan is considered a co-official language, it does not have the same status as Castillian Spanish, the only official language. However, for most Catalan separatists, the pride in their language is a part of their identity, which is currently not being valued in Spain, spurring on the desire for independence.

In addition to language separating Spain and Catalonia, political disagreements also contribute to this movement. Meanwhile, Spaniards and the world alike are not convinced of the validity of the separatist movement. Catalonia has had its own government, Generalitat De Catalunya, for a long time and is quite proud of it. However, on October 1st, the Catalan government held an illegal referendum for independence in which only about 2.3 million people of the approximately 7.5 million who live in Catalonia participated. This referendum would prove worthless because of its violation of the Spanish constitution in which the autonomy of the region is granted, but “the indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation” is necessitated. Therefore, this referendum, which is invalid anyway, isn’t even an accurate representation of the views of the people. Additionally, the 8 political leaders fighting for independence have been arrested by the central Madrid government for rebellion and treason. The events, in this case, all seem to lead to the assumption that the referendum, in of itself, held by Catalonia, which they claim to be legally binding, is not as influential nor an accurate representation of Catalonia as it may seem to be.

Another crucial factor in the separatist movement, perhaps the most crucial, is the widespread belief that Catalonia – a wealthy region –  is “subsidizing” or “supporting” the rest of Spain, which is struggling economically. Catalonia is known to provide over a fifth of Spain’s annual GDP and almost a quarter of the total exports. If Catalonia had its own economy, at 260 billion USD, they could have a bigger economy than some sovereign states currently such as Portugal, Finland, and Greece. Although many Spaniards do accept that Catalonia is one of the richer regions, many Catalans don’t understand that by leaving Spain, the Catalan economy will be strongly impacted, as well as the obvious damage to the Spanish economy.

Even though some Catalan people might feel that their differences from the rest of Spain and economic successes are enough to encourage the separation, it seems that it would be beneficial for Catalonia not to leave Spain. There would ultimately be countless negative consequences for both Catalonia and Spain, all for a relatively superficial change in the grand scheme of things. Both entities would undergo a long, tedious political change and economic disaster, to whose benefit? However, if this separation was to occur, it would be a major statement for the entire world. From Basque Country, also in Spain, to Scotland to Hong Kong to Quebec to Flanders, Belgium – many semi-autonomous regions might get the impression that the prospect of gaining independence might be more achievable now than ever before.

Although it may feel like living in a totally different continent might make this news irrelevant for us foreigners in China, Nelly L and Sara Q, two of the few Spaniards in our community, comment on the issue. Nelly believes that “the vote for Catalan Independence was a huge mistake,” and Sara corroborates this statement by saying that she believes “it was quite out of place for the Catalan government to do the referendum.” Nelly thinks that one of the primary reasons why Catalonians want independence is “because of their immense, over-inflated, egotistical character.” Nevertheless, she still acknowledges that “Spain needs Catalonia, because of their resources” but that it is “no excuse for the damage that this “attempt” of independence has caused to the whole country.” Finally, Nelly concludes her statement by claiming that even “if Catalonia [can] achieve their independence, which [she doesn’t believe will] happen, they [will] be crying like a baby begging to be reinstated back into the Spanish community.” Furthermore, Sara feels that even if the Catalans are the ones in the wrong by holding an illegal referendum, the “international media [is being] biased against Spain.” She thinks that some news outlets “only show the scenes of violence “against” the Catalans,” and that they “wouldn’t really show how the Catalans provoke [other Spaniards].” She admits “the violence was a bit too much” but her views on the situation have not changed. Sara truly believes “that the whole thing was quite ridiculous as not all Catalans want to be Independent and [the referendum was] completely illegal.”

This dissonance between a central and regional government is only another testament to a rapidly changing, unpredictable world, in which a stable democratic government and strong unity within people have become imperative.

For more information visit CNBC, The Guardian, The Independent, and The Telegraph.