Basque nationalist movement
Topic: Nationalism and National Self-determination · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 7 "Nationalism"
Meaning
The Basque nationalist movement wants the Basque Country, a hilly and prosperous region of northern Spain, to become a separate country. The region already has self-rule under Spain's 1978 Constitution and the Statute of Guernica (1979). Supporters point to their own language, Euskara, which is unlike Spanish (only about a third of residents understand it). They also point to a distinct landscape and to self-rule since Roman times, with their own justice, administration and finance. NCERT uses it as its main case study of separatism.
Example
The movement began in the late 19th century, when Spain tried to abolish these Basque arrangements. Under Franco, self-rule was cut further and Basque was banned even at home. Opponents say separatists are exploiting an issue that is already settled. NCERT says the movement used "violent means" until recently. Its armed group ETA declared a ceasefire in 2011, disarmed in 2017 and dissolved itself in May 2018.
Don't confuse with
- Catalonia: Catalonia is another separatist region of Spain. It held a referendum in 2017, after which Spain suspended its self-rule under Art. 155 of the Spanish Constitution.