The Basques - Research Paper Example

?Full and The Basques Settled in northern Spain, separated by their own culture, language and traditions, theBasques have lived for centuries as a group apart in Spain. With their numbers partly in France and partly in Spain, the group as a culture for centuries survived in tact--a culture within a culture. With the incursion of the modern industrial age, however, in the form of mines and steel mills, much of the Basque tradition has disappeared along with its unique language, Catalan. Over the past thirty or so movements have arise to stop this progressive cultural deterioration and to restore the identity of the Basques—their language and culture—to former glory. These movements, however, suggest a separatist government apart of the central government of Spain, a demand fought violently by separatists groups that have to an extent damaged the Basque cause. The good position in which the Basques now find themselves can only maintained by denying the separatist movement as a radical tool of the past no longer necessary. The Basques: Background and History The homeland of the Basques, known by Basque nationalists as Euzkadi, lays claim to some of the oldest known people in Europe. Their land occupies the area on the French border near the Bay of Biscay and east to the area of San Sebastian. Although over the centuries overrun by scores of invading hordes from the south and east, the Basques remained until the tenth century “a fairly isolated” (Solsten and Meditz par 3) and distinct cultural group. Divided originally into two autonomous regions, the area was eventually absorbed by the powerful kingdom of Navarre. By the 16th century the kingdom became fragmented and war torn, and the Basque region was subsequently absorbed by the powerful lords of Castile--an event which even today raises the ire of true Basques who see themselves as separate in culture and language from the Castilian majority. Earlier Basque provinces were recognized as separate political entities with fueros, or full local privileges by the central government of Castile and all went smoothly. But with the full centralization of the Spanish state and the protracted Carlist wars of the 1800s, the fueros were abolished, leaving the Basques and their culture at the mercy of various kings. Moves to reestablish the Basque region as autonomous from Castile in the 1930s were thwarted by the bloody Spanish Civil War of the 1930s. (Solsten and Meditz par 3) Worse for the Basques, with the victory of the Falangists over the Spanish Republican army, and the rise of Dictator Generalissimo Franco, the Basques became targets of Franco’s frenetic attempts to extinguish their language and culture and force them into the Spanish mainstream. With Franco’s death in the 1970s restrictions on the Basques and their culture were largely lifted, but feelings of absorption by the central Spanish regime remained an issue. For the Basques, their unsettled history from the mid-1900s onward has been one “clash” after the next with the “other Spain.” They resent the influx of heavy industrial activity—mines and steel mills—activity which brought a steady stream of non-Basque migrants to further dilute the language and culture. This steady decline of culture, while accepted by some, has been the root of serious violent disagreement over time between the Spanish government at large in Castile and hard core separatists in the form of the well-publicized terrorist activities of the ETA and its membership. The Basques: Politics Firstly, it is important to note that what constitutes being a Basque does not require residency in Spain or the Basque region. Many Basques, for a variety of reasons include those economic had left Spain over time and settled all over the world. As with other nationalities which have dispersed, there is a tendency to continue to identify with the group. This is sometimes true of the Basque, and sometimes not. In Belgium, for instance, there is a strong tendency to follow political happenings in Spain. Basques settled in the United States, however, tend to “stay away from homeland political issues” (Totoricaguena 90). Remembering repression under Franco, U.S. Basques tend to be mistrustful of even the current Spanish government. There are certainly strong reasons for this by virtue of inclusionary practices. “French nation-state building has included many French Basques whereas the Spanish nation-state has little legitimacy among Spanish Basques” (Beck 2). The precariousness of the Basque political situation then is largely attributed to “The weakness of Spanish nation-state building is shaped by a history characterized by contradictory messages about the essence of the nation state and a lack of continuity in the transmission of nationalist messages” (Beck 41). While three Basque regions maintain quasi-autonomy and one, Navarre, complete autonomy, (the autonomy does little to improve the political goals and clout of the Basques. In essence, Basque politics then are considered exclusive and exclusionary—an outsiders view of Spain and what constitutes Spanishness. This political infrastructure in itself, brought on and sustained by the Spanish central government, has done nothing to strengthen the Basque political cause or effectiveness. As Beck proposes, within the various Basque parties and interest groups there is “…a lack of ideological cohesion [that] has continuously influenced the fragmented character of core values and concomitant mobilization” (Beck 12). A more radical element to Basque politics is the Euskadi Ta Askatasuna ETA, and Partido Nacionalista Vasco, PNV,whose ideal is nothing short of complete autonomy and separation from the central Spanish government. The group is notorious for violent protest acts, including bombings which have killed several hundred Spanish citizens. Their actions are not surprising given the Basque tendency toward making “vigorous defense of its national identity against attempts by Madrid and Paris to impose uniformity on it” (Astrain 26). Begun in 1947, the groups by 1978 upon Franco’s death were calling for complete self-determination for the Basque regions. Protests had become more contentious by the 1980s, worrying the Spanish government and eliciting stronger responses from the Guardia Civil. Since its creation in the 19th century, the ETA has gone through many metamorphoses as a political organization. “The first [violent] attacks carried out in the name of ETA were explosions in the towns of Bilbao, Vitoria and Santander in 1959… The partial derailment of the train did not result in any deaths but the police took advantage of the sabotage to arrest and torture a number of suspects” (Astrain 32). As so began the politically contentious and always potentially dangerous relationship between the government, the ETA and Spanish society. While several truces have been declared over time, none seem to hold for very long, suggesting answers that “reconciliation in Spain and the Basque country will need to address the fact that victims of Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) violence and victims of state counterterrorism methods have constructed competing historical narratives about their shared legacies of violence” (Macdonald and Bernardo 1) Basque Economics Before the late 1800s and the second civil war, the Basques did not received any largess from the government based on its support for Charles V and his Carlist armies. When the political tied turned, however, in the late 1800s the Basques found themselves on the winning side. While loosing a great deal of autonomy, “an agreement to share taxes collected with the Spanish State…enabled Basque provincial institutions to undergo vigorous industrialization” (Castells and Jauregui par 6-7). It was an arrangement that would eventually make the Basque country a leader in Spanish industrialization…and, subsequently, in development and standard of living” (Castells and Jauregui 6-7)). Economics through the twentieth century may be summed up as follows: …the thriving Basque economy, centered on the steel and the shipbuilding industries of Vizcaya and the metal-processing shops in Guipuzcoa, attracted thousands of Spaniards who migrated there in search of jobs and a better way of life. Between 1900 and 1980, the number of people moving into the region exceeded those who left by nearly 450,000, the heaviest flow occurring during the decade of the 1960s. In the 1970s, the flow began to reverse itself because of political upheaval and economic decline. (Solsten and Meditz par 4) After falling back in the late 20th century, The Basque Autonomous Community is currently the wealthiest region in Spain, with a gross domestic product higher than the EU and Spain’s average in general. (Wikipedia, Basque Country - Autonomous community-Economy). Industrial activities largely dependent upon iron deposits in the area have given way to the service sector administered by Spain’s growing populace of young educated professionals. Its privileged tax system and central government contribution is controlled locally with the obvious advantages. “It has been considered that this contribution is under evaluated amounting in around 2,000 million euros. This entails a number of economic privileges which contravene the principle of equality established in the Spanish Constitution” (Churiaque 33). Conclusion Consider the great advantages the Basque’s hold at this point in time it is important to note how its political workings may affect its future. Given its thriving economy and Spain’s ascendency as a true partner and EU member both politically and economically, it is of the essence that the Basque government remains stable in the face of separatist pressure. Its rising economy will certainly promote stability and hopefully win out over outmoded overly nationalist sentiments and pressures. Works Cited Astrain, Luis Nunez. The Basques: Their Struggle for Independence. Trans. Meic Stephens. Cardiff: Welsh Academic Press, 1997. www.questia.com Beck, Jan Mansvelt. Territory and Terror: Conflicting Nationalisms in the Basque Country. New York: Routledge, 2005. www.questia.com Castells, Jos Manual and Jauregui, Gurutz. “Political Autonomy and Conflict Resolution.” http://unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/uu12ee/uu12ee0m.htm (Accessed April 1, 2011). Churiaque, Jose Ignacio Martinez. “The Economic Situation in the Basque Country.” Fundacion para de Libertad. “Frequently Asked Questions: Basque Politics and Government.” Center for Basque Studies: University of Nevada, 2011. (Accessed April 4, 2011) Macdonald, Ross B. and Bernardo, Monica C. “The Politics of Victimhood: Historical Memory and Peace in Spain and the Basque Region.” Journal of International Affairs Vol 60 (1), 2006: 173+ www.questia.com Solsten, Eric and Meditz, Sandra W. (eds). Spain: A Country Study. Washington: GPO for the Library of Congress, 1988.< http://countrystudies.us/spain/39.htm> (Accessed April 2, 2011). Totoricaguena, Gloria P. Identity, Culture and Politics in the Basque Diaspora. Reno: University of Nevada Press, 2004. Wikipedia. “Basque Country (Autonomous community): Economy. April 4, 2011. < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basque_Country_(autonomous_community)> Read More