History re-written: the Catalonians
Catalonia (Cataluña; Catalunya) has never been a nation. Similar to the Basque Country. The history, also with this Autonomous Comunity, has been re-written for the nationalists.
The origin of the nationalism in Catalonia began with Francisco Cambó, leader of the Liga Regionalista. On the peak of the nationalism all over Europe, Mr. Cambó founded this conservative party. His most renowned exploit is the assault to a nationalism newspaper. The next “generation” became with Francisco Maciá founder of the Estat Catalá party, which, together with other parties, constituted Esquerra Republicana de Cataluña (ERC). Over the Second Republic period, Cataluña had some specific status of autonomy, with a government leaded by Francesc Maciá. On 1.934, this goverment participated on the attempt of a coupe d’état together with the PSOE, on Asturias and Barcelona. After the winning of general Francisco Franco on the Spanish Civil War, nothing was heard about ERC opposition to the regime. Only on the last years, there was a terrorist group called Terra LLiure (Free Land) that performed some terrorist actions. Including the murder of people. Now, some renowned people on Spain defends the idea that some members of this terrorist group are now on ERC. ERC is participating on the government of the Catalonia region. And some on them are also governing cities or villages.
On the Middle Age, Catalonia was the border between the Franks and the muslims. It has never been a kingdom. Just counties. True, on 1.258 the French Kingdom gave the privilege of the Principality of Catalonia. But it was linked to the Aragon kingdom, one of the major kingdoms of the medieval Spain, together with Castille and Navarre. But from threre, Catalonia was always under the govern of the Aragon king. There were some other kingdoms on Spain, as can be perceived on the Spanish symbols: Murcia, Valencia, Granada. But never, never, Catalonia.
Other than this, the argument of the Catalonian nationalists is based on the fight of the Barcelona inhabitants against king Felipe the Fifth, on the Spanish Sucession War (around 1.700). There was a revolt of the Barcelona inhabitants, true, but it was never against Spain. It was against Felipe the Fifth, but supporting the candidate Archduke Charles from Austria. There is a legend about the 11th of September, but this is just a legend. The main people that participated on this revolt were afterwards lived on the Spanish Kingdom of Felipe the Fifth.
So the argument that Catalonia has been a state, or a kingdom, is just that: a legend. And thus, false. Also the legend about the 11th of September is just a fight between two different armies, two different candidates to the throne of Spain.
Another example of a lie that repeated thousand times must be a true. But it is still a lie. In spite of the efforts of the nationalists to manipulate the history. It is just false. And always will be.
Uff.. me duele a los ojos leer un texto tan mal escrito.
Esquerda no.. Esquerra; ladered no… leaded; governating no… governing; mayor no… major; were afterwards lived no… living. Must be a true no… must be true. Supongo que hay bastantes más… y por otra parte los signos de puntuación dan pena.
Eso en cuanto al continente… respecto al contenido… la experiencia me dice que no tiene sentido entablar una conversación minimamente seria sobre política o nacionalismo, con alguien que piensa que el 11M es una conspiración franco-masónica. Pero que te quede claro que el sentimiento nacionalista no es una consecuencia histórica, sino un rasgo que surge inevitablemente cuando existe una diferencia cultural y lingüistica entre regiones.
Bueno… evidentemente no intentaré convencerte de nada. Salud!
Gracias por tu comentario. No lo he dicho, pero mi incursión en inglés es autodidacta, por lo que te agradezco los comentarios, que he corregido. No soy bueno en mucho, y menos en inglés, aunque lo intento.
Con respecto al resto de tu comentario: no pretendo sentar cátedra. Pero si te diré que no sé por qué crees que yo pienso que el 11-M es una conspiración franco-masónica. No sé donde lo he dicho.
Efectivamente existen diferencias culturales. Los de Huelva hablan de forma diferente que los de Córdoba. Y tienen costumbres diferentes. No me preocupa que así sea. Solo quiero hablar sobre hechos, no sobre teorías. Y es un hecho que hay diferencias culturales. Pero también es un hecho que sobre esas se ha inventado una historia falsa.
Otra vez, gracias por tu comentario. Y por tus correcciones.
Hello:
My English is not all that great, but I’ll do my best.
I will not try to convince anyone about anything, I will state what I believe it’s obvious: Espinama is more likely to be a nation than Catalonia.
Espinama is a tiny little village in Picos de Europa: most of its citizens are cows and flowers; among the humans,some of them are sharp and some others are dumb, just as anywhere else; We all know what Catalonia is (physically speaking, don’t get me wrong).
The quaestion is not only if Catalonia has sometime been a nation or not, but what essence makes the difference, what is that thing that makes a crowd on a territory become a nation.
Crowd, territory, they are necessary, but Espinama has them too, and by no means it is a nation.
Stalin was keen on the idea of a langage union (just check his policy in the communist occupied countries on this issue) Does that sound like Provincias Vascongadas, Catalonia, Galicia, Valencia, etc? I wish it didn’t, but it does.
Some others - Ortega is, I believe, one of the most remarkable thinkers on this idea - set the quaestion on terms of a general conviction of the population on a common destiny for all of them.
In Espinama, everybody speaks the same language, Spanish, Bable, something else or a mess of all of it, I’m sorry I could not understand all I heard over the past 30 years.
In Espinama, everybody knows it is their responsibility to work out the local problems, and they all know cows and flowers will continue to be a main part of their lives.
Holy Cows, Espinama is a nation!
In Catalonia, over the las few centuries, people have spoken different languages; Spanish mainly, I’m glad to say. I will not explain why this happened, or if it is right or wrong, it simply happened, AND IT HAPPENS. And just in case there were some doubts, may I point out that the Generalidad de Cataluña spends a lot of money and time in enforcing laws to keep children from learning Spanish, to punish them when they speak Spanish, and to bann Spanish from the Administration and from private lives. Mmmm, it is surprising that, being Catalonia such a strong and consolidated nation it still needs so much help to build it’s own identity…through the fight with Spanish culture, which is obviously present (otherwise there is no explanation for such a fight, expenses, and punishment)
Concerning the common destiny, may I say that in the near past a wide part of the population in Catalonia were proud to belong to Spain (or to France, as it was some others’ will), and that today the Generalidad spends again a lot of money and time to promote what they say it is their culture. Some other time I will refer to this culture and its origin, but the fact that such an effort is necessary means there is not such a thing as common culture, and needless to say common destiny. Propaganda helps in the building of a nation, guns too, but it takes some time, even on these basis, and the fact that gus and laws were and are used by the Generalidad to change people’s beliefs reminds me of a word that sounds like DEMOCRACY.
In the mean time, the true origin of Catalonia as a nation is something so true, so clear, so unifying, as a gremlin. Yes, the real foundings of Catalonia is a gremlin. He lives somewhere under Montserrat, in a cavern; he dances sardanas with his wife, they are absolutely concious that they have and will always rule Catalonia because it is written in the Book, and needless to say they speak Catalán.
This is the quaestion; in Spanish, ANIMISMO (Jose, please, help me). This gremlin floods all Catalonia; he is the essence of Catalonia; Catalonia belongs to him, aswell as everyone who dares to live in his territory, and since his language is Catalán, the language of Catalonia is Catalán, just like that.
I have a few quaestions: where is the Book? where the hell is that gremlin? how do we know he speaks Catalán and dances sardanas? where in the Book is written that Catalonia belongs to him and his wife? Can’t he speak Spanish? Does he support Español?
Please forgive me for not worshiping him; fuck with the damn gremlin; this stupid, romantic, and religious perception of items is called ANIMISMO; the gremlin is the owner of the thing, the item’s characteristics are those of the gremlin. Now we all know why the only possible, the natural language and destiny for Catalonia and its inhabitants is that of the gremlin.
The trouble is I don’t believe in that gremlin, and even less I think Carod Rovira might be in touch wiht some intelligent form that is not his own dick. Hell with the gremlin, Hell with Carod. Great for Catalonia, great for sardanas and Catalán, but please, get out of here and stop believing in gremlins.
If you arrived to Catalonia some days ago, you will have surely seen street signs, shop names and various publications in a language which is not Spanish: it´s Catalan, a language which is more than one thousand years old, has an important literary history and is currently taught in more than 50 universities throughout the world. The catalan language is tied to a very differentiated culture.
Until 1714, the catalan nation was an independent State which extended along the Mediterranean. It has been the first Country with a Parliament in Europe. In the XVIIIth Century, Spanish troops invaded Catalan territory and began the repression against catalan people, their institutions, and their language. Thanks to the constant resistance, Catalonia gets in 1932 a Statute of Autonomy and recovers partially the rights of home rule. But with the dictatorship of Franco, the repression of Catalonia began again.
Today, in spite of that, Catalan is spoken in Catalonia, the south of France, most of the region of Valencia, part of Aragon, the Balearic Islands and Andorra, where it is the official language. In short: almost 13 million people, who could become a normal nation- as Catalonia once was during 700 years, before 1714- comparable to any other nation with an own State. Nevertheless, the situation today is unsatisfactory. Catalonia has an extremely limited Statute of Autonomy: the Spanish Government frequetly issues new laws which attempt to reduce the Statute even further. The catalan people aspire to, and are capable of home rule. In fact, it is necessary among so different countries like Spain and Catalonia. Catalonia is that nation to which Pau Casals referred when he identified himself in the United Nation, saying: ” I am a Catalan “.
To be able to forget some day what in 1714 happened, the world must know our reality; that´s why we the catalan people, ask you to inform your Country about that, and we thank you for reading these lines, which are an attempt to fill the silence with which the official propaganda treats the reality of Catalonia as a nation. We hope to see you soon again in Catalonia!
Nice story, Xavier. Nice lie. You are lying.
Until 1714 Catalonia has never been a nation, and you know. And, after that date, Catalonia has never been a nation. and you also know.
What happened on the XVIIIth century was not an invasion. Catalonia, as a part of the Aragón crown, positioned in favour of the archduke Carlos. The other historic references are false; me as a Catalonian feel ashamed of such bulk of lies. Catalonia never had an independent theory until the “lightning” of some insane men on the XXth century, when the nationalist wave in Europe.
What happened on the Second Republic is that there was a pressure (under the nationalist wave) to have self-goverment. But… ask, for example, the anarchists of the CNT if they wanted that self-government.
Catalán is not spoken in other places outside Catalonia (excepts for some little pieces of land). The “valenciano” is spoken in Valencia, and the “balear” is spoken in the Balearic Islands. The thing is there is a Catalonian nationalism wave that tries to impose Catalonian on those territories.
Catalonia has never been a nation. You can keep lying and spreading the lie all around the world. The example of a lie said a thousand times that is not a true. Just propaganda, what you are accusing to the “other” part.
Stop confusing the people. Just read, read and learn history.
Chaval, no tienes ni idea de historia..ya puedes haber hecho cursos en Chicago o donde quieras, pero de verdad, ni idea. No habia leido a nadie desde hacia tiempo que dijera tantas memeces históricas. Si tanto amas a Cataluña que defiendes su sentido en España a capa y espada, porque no alabas sus bondades y escribes palabras cordiales en lugar de ataques continuos, como si de la última colonia española se tratara. Todos sabemos que si Cataluña estuviera en América, ya haría años que sería independiente. De la misma manera que Portugal, que se negó a formar parte de España y luchó por su independencia, decenas de países en el Centro y el Sur de América, rechazaron el gobierno español hace más de un siglo.
Chavala, imagino que después de todas las generalidades que has dicho te habrás quedado ancha. Imagino también que tú tienes más idea que yo, por lo que predicas.
Pero te equivocas en varias cosas:
(1) Amo a Cataluña y amo a España.
(2) Veo que conoces poco de Portugal, muy poco. Vamos, nada. Porque en Portugal, como bien sabes, hay una corriente fuerte, muy fuerte de reunificación, de hacer una Iberia. Hay sentido patrio, sí, pero cada cierto tiempo un conjunto de intelectuales publica en periódicos (Público, Diário de Notícias, etc.) artículos promoviendo la unificación. Entiendo que debes leer un poco más; algo, solo un poco.
(3) Con respecto a Cataluña, América y otras gaitas… Posiblemente tienes razón, pero… ¿Sabes cómo se produjo la independencia de estos países? ¿Sabes cuál es el estado mayoritario de estos países ahora? Y no me vengas con gaitas de colonialismo y chorradas, que en un siglo se arreglan muchos problemas.
(4) Podría escribir miles de palabras cordiales sobre Cataluña, pero este no es un blog rosa. Para leer lo que quieres leer, vete a la web del PSC, de ERZ o del tal Puig. Por cierto, vaya puro le van a meter, los alemanes. Estos no se andan con chiquitas, como el tal ZP.
Entiendo, chavala, que debes leer un poco más y enterarte de ciertas cosas. Y contar menos generalidades, que de eso no se vive y menos se convence a la gente.
Hola, Sandra y Xavier:
I’m afraid you won’t see me soon in Catalonia, and I don’t think you’ll miss me. It is really scaring, I knew brain-washing was effective, but I just didn’t want to believe it was so wide-spread.
Dear Sandra, the fact that I fight for the right of everyone to speak his own language does not mean I hate Calaluña. I simply means I want to speak Spanish.
If you were so sure of your own existance you could just leave each person to choose the language he wants to communicate with. I have the feeling Spanish would win, but if Catalán did it would be fine with me. I really don’t care; what I do care about is the fact that you want everyone to speak Catalán because you have decided it is the only possible language for Cataluña.
Dear Xaver, I had never ever heard such a bunch of bullshit nonsense stupid thoughts together. I’m sorry, bud. I feel sorry for you and for all those who have the terrible disgrace of living in Cataluña and will be forced to learn so many lies as you have obviously been forced to. May God help you out of the dark and keep me away from your teachers.
Y ahora ya en español. Lo que realmente pasa con la gente como vosotros es que habéis descendido a un nivel de conocimientos y razonamiento tan bajo, tan primitivo, que es imposible mantener una conversación coherente con vosotros. No os preocupéis. Podéis acordaros de mi madre. Yo ya me acuerdo de la vuestra, y se que ella no tiene la culpa (o sí, no se). Es dificilísimo contestar a alguien como vosotros, habría que empezar por el Imperio Romano, y eso lleva mucho tiempo y ganas.
De todos modos se puede vivir bien sin saber historia. Lo chungo es vivir siendo dictadores imperialistas como es el gobierno de la generalidad catalana, ser tan soberbio e ignorante como para no percibir que los demás podemos no estar de acuerdo y que imponernos vuestro punto de vista es síntoma de una tendencia dictatorial horrenda. Ánimo, chicos, ni siquiera sois lo más humano del planeta.