CATALONIA -- Why a referendum? | Catalonia Votes
Why a referendum?
Catalonia has always had a distinct culture and language and a strong
desire for self-government. Though Catalonia lost its independence in
1714, there was a political and cultural renaissance in the 19th century
which eventually led to the proclamation of the Catalan Republic in
1931. Subsequent negotiations with the Spanish Republic led to a
wide-reaching autonomy. However, General Franco’s fascist victory in
1939 led to the suspension of Catalonia’s autonomy, a ban on the Catalan
language, and a fierce repression forcing 200,000 Catalans to go into
exile. Franco also ordered the execution of Catalonia’s President at
that time, Lluís Companys.
After Franco’s death, 1977 saw the return of the Catalan President,
Josep Tarradellas who had been elected in exile. This allowed for the
reestablishment of the autonomous government. Subsequently, the Spanish
Constitution of 1978 and the 1979 Statute of Autonomy for Catalonia set
the limits of its autonomy.
Spain has become economically and socially modernised since then but
it has not fully accommodated its internal diversity into its political
setup. A new statute of autonomy, agreed by referendum in Catalonia and
passed by the Spanish parliament in 2006, was drastically altered by a
controversial court ruling in 2010. Catalonia’s proposal for greater
fiscal autonomy was then rejected out of hand. Attacks against
Catalonia’s education system and linguistic rights have also increased
and more and more recentralisation measures are being taken.
A referendum on self-determination is necessary to reset the relationship between Catalonia and Spain.
It is the popular demand of more than 80% of Catalans in opinion polls,
and of a clear majority of members of the Catalan parliament.
The following timeline
explains in a nutshell how we got here. It allows us to understand the
evolution of this movement, in which Catalan civil society is the one
pushing political leaders to organise a referendum.
