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Research Essay For Everyone
Research Essay For Everyone
On October 27, 2017, while millions of Catalans gathered in Sant Jaume square,
Barcelona to celebrate the declaration of independence, a few elderly people sat at a table in a
small café just a kilometer away from the parliament. These people had lived in Barcelona all
their lives and were shocked by the independence movement around them. A guy named
Gustavo led the conversation, talking about how misinformed the young generation was and how
politicians were exploiting the youth. He went on about how he felt Spanish and Catalan and
none had the right to question his loyalty for Catalonia just because he was against leaving
Spain. This he said was a result of a false sense of nationalism and pride that was blinding the
people. While he was speaking a pro-independence slogan was called out from across the street
and those at the table smirked and for a moment there was a hint of sadness in their eyes
wanted secession from Spain but was stopped short suddenly by the sound of fireworks and
Gustavo kicked his chair over and stormed out of the café.
Catalonia is an autonomous region in Spain and apart from being one of the most
politically active regions in the Europe, is a thriving economic region in northeastern Spain. With
16% of the population of Spain “Catalonia has much of the paraphernalia of statehood: it has a
flag, a parliament, its own police force and broadcast regulator, and it provides some of its own
public services such as healthcare and education.” (Henley) Catalonia has a rich culture defined
by their own language, Catalan in which they take great pride in. The idea of independence
originated in 1922 when a political party was formed with the purpose to achieve independence
for Catalonia but could only achieve an autonomous region within Spain. From 1938 to 1975
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Spain was ruled by a dictator named Franco who abolished the use of the Catalan language and
their culture which to this day angers the people of Catalonia. Franco’s death in 1975 restored
democracy in Spain and ended the oppression on Catalonia. efforts were directed at gaining
autonomous powers for the Catalan region post-Franco. In 2006 the statute of autonomy was
agreed with Spain and passed as law by a referendum of the Catalan people but in 2010 the
constitutional court of Spain made amendments to some of the laws which caused widespread
protests that quickly turned into an independence movement. From Franco’s oppressive regime
to the reversal of the autonomous powers by a Spanish court, the people of Catalonia found
themselves constantly being undermined by Spain and focused all attention towards their
struggle for independence as they find it to be the only solution. From 2010 onwards, support for
Catalonia’s independence increased. Referendums were held in 2014 and 2017, both resulting in
landslide victories for independence. The government of Catalonia declared independence after
the recent referendum which resulted in a 90% support for independence out of the 42% who
voted. Spain is trying to stop Catalonia from seceding from Spain as the Catalan region is an
economic powerhouse for Spain, contributing 20% to the GDP of Spain. With the kind of history
Catalonia and Spain have shared, does Catalonia hold the right to self-determination? Although
the Catalan people have a different language and culture however Catalonia shouldn’t be allowed
to form an independent state because the call for independence is based on illegal referendums
which may prompt other regions in Europe to do the same causing unrest and separation from
Spain will lead to an economic crisis for Catalonia and the European union.
Starting off as an independent republic for Catalonia based on illegal referendums is not
the right way to start a new nation state. As an American leader and politician, Brigham Young
once stated that true independence and freedom can only exist in doing what’s right. After the
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Spanish court’s ruling made amendments to the laws regarding Catalonia’s autonomy many
regions in Catalonia have held referendums trying to get support for independence. Apart from
being declared illegal the voter turnout ratios were lower than 50%. There were two major
referendums in 2014 and 2017 that separatists base their call for independence on. In 2014, the
for independence, but it was suspended by the Spanish court. The court ruled that regional
governments didn’t hold the right to self-determination as it defies Spanish constitution. Since
these referendums were declared illegal there was no monitoring of election day and only the
government of Catalonia who were leading the independence movement announced results. voter
turnout was 35%. “Two questions were on the ballot. The first asked voters if they thought
Catalonia should be a state, and the second, if so, should that state be independent. According to
provisional figures, 80.76% (1,861,7536 people) of participants voted yes to both questions.
10.07% voted yes-no, 4.54% voted no.” (Nardelli) An unconvincing referendum was followed
by another one in 2017. “Catalan nationalists, who held only a wafer-thin majority in the
regional parliament, pushed the legislation for 2017’s vote through it against considerable
opposition; Catalans who wanted to remain in Spain were unlikely to vote. The Spanish
constitutional court ruled it illegal and called for it to be halted. The central government seized
10m ballot papers; arrested key officials; dismantled the technology to connect voting stations,
tally votes and vote online; blocked and removed voters from polling stations; and confiscated
ballot boxes. Catalan officials told voters to print off ballot papers at home and said they could
vote wherever they wanted. Whatever they may claim, the results are neither legally nor morally
binding: whatever votes are tallied cannot truly represent Catalonia’s wishes.” (Editorial) “The
referendum saw 90% of the 2.26 million Catalans who voted, chose yes, according to results
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released by the region’s government. The region has 5.3 million voters. Officials said 770,000
votes were lost due to disruption which resulted in polling stations being raided by Spanish
police.” (Russell et al) This referendum showed an increase of voter participation up from 35%
to almost 43% but it’s still nowhere near a clear majority of the population. Irregularities in the
voting process overshadowed the authenticity of the results which both ended in land slide
victories for yes to independence. These referendums shouldn’t be allowed to hold any authority
to dictate the future of the region based on the decision of a minority. 2017’s referendum was a
decisive step in the regions movement for independence and not having a majority of the
population turn up to vote shows that despite the independence movement getting stronger but its
left the Catalan people more divided than ever. A minority of the population through illegal
referendums shouldn’t be allowed to dictate the lives of most of the Catalans who are against
seeking secession from Spain. Allowing these referendums to hold value is dangerous for the
political world as other smaller regions will launch movements in their countries to try and
achieve independence. Allowing Catalonia to secede based on illegal referendums will open a
Pandora box. Catalonia’s freedom could give other secessionist states to get the confidence they
need to breakaway. Nationalists in Scotland, Flanders, Bavaria, Padania, madeira and Scania are
also all clamoring for independence Europe could end up into fragments and the existence of the
European union would be put at risk. Catalan independence is as much a European problem as it
is a Spanish one and allowing Catalonia to secede based on invalid referendums will set a
dangerous precedent for other regions in Europe that could lead to wide-spread ramifications for
secession from Spain will lead to an economic and financial crisis for both. Despite all the
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nationalism and emotions that exist around independence there is little thought of about the
future of Catalonia. There is no blueprint for what a future Catalan republic would be like. If
there’s anything uncertain it’s the economy of the region. Despite being the region that pulled
Spain out of the 2008 financial crisis and being one of the richest regions in Europe with an
economy the size of Ireland’s there is little guarantee if the economy in an independent Catalan
would be the same. An exodus of companies from Catalonia because of the uncertainty that
surrounds the political future of the region has seen companies preferring to work in Spain rather
than in an independent Catalonia. Two major banks, Banco Sabadell and Caixa bank, with
billions of euros worth of reserves in the Catalan region, are moving headquarters to Madrid,
Spain. With a large exodus of major corporations ranging from real estate firms to bio-tech
research centers, Catalonia is already losing thousands of jobs. With one in five Catalan
companies exporting, Catalonia contributes 26% of the total exports of Spain and if major
companies keep moving out of Catalonia, exports will fall. Gaining independence is going to
lead to an automatic exit from the European Union (EU) and admission back into the EU is
highly unlikely as Spain would prove to be a stumbling block. 70% of Catalonia’s exports are to
the European Union and not being a member of the EU would have negative effects that
“proportionally exceed” those of Brexit and would plunge the region into long-term uncertainty.
(ING) Catalonia would also see 65% of its foreign investment from EU countries redirected to
Spain or elsewhere. An exit from the EU would mean Catalonia would have to decide whether to
stick to the euro or start a new currency. “In economic terms Catalonia will be fully viable and
there is no practical reason why it should not continue to use the euro, even if technically it were
outside the EU. One of the lessons of the past couple of years is not just that politics have
become unpredictable; it is also the economic consequences of a political event are unpredictable
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too. By rights the decision or non-decision of 7.5 million people ought not to unsettle Europe.”
(McRae). “As Britain’s experience with Brexit shows, leaving the EU is not a straightforward
process. An independent Catalonia, however, would face an altogether greater problem: it would
also have to exit the eurozone, at least temporarily. Several small states, including Andorra,
Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City, have signed agreements with the EU to use the euro, but
their economies are minuscule compared with Catalonia’s, which is nearly the size of Ireland’s.
The region’s main business lobby, Cercle d’Economia, last week said a unilateral declaration of
independence” “would plunge the country into an extraordinarily complex situation, with
unknown, but very serious, consequences”: “Brexit, but with bells on.” (Henley) With every sign
of an economic and financial crash in the aftermath of independence, it is suicidal for the
The argument of pro-independence supporters that they have a different language i.e.
Catalan, and given the history under dictator Franco who banned the use of Catalan in public
institutions gives them reason to secede from Spain but even though this may be true, conditions
are not the same anymore. Like Gustavo there are many who’ve lived through Franco’s
dictatorship, but point out they were the acts of one man and they won’t be repeated. This
argument isn’t valid because every country has regions that have a different set of cultures and
language. According to the Eurostat there are 98 regions in the European union if we classify
regions by different cultures and language. Pakistan is a country known for its diversity in
culture and language. With 5 provinces each having its distinct language and culture the country
remains one. If Catalonia was to gain independence based on a distinct language, then countries
like Pakistan will break into smaller countries. Allowing every region that has its own language
will disintegrate the world into fragments of smaller countries and make trade and relations
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between countries complex. It would create more divisions between people and leave little room
for unity and tolerance between people. The most recent statistics that were released about the
Catalan language in 2013 showed that only 56% of the Catalan people can write Catalan which
weakens the argument about Catalan language being important to the Catalan people.
Economists say that the independence of Catalonia has more to do with money than it has to do
Pro-independence supporters find their call for independence legitimate because they
believe they’ll be better off economically without Spain since they contribute 20% of Spain’s
taxes yet only receive 14% back for public expenditure. This is the because of economic
diversity. Statistics show that diversity in economic conditions and distribution of income has
more to do with regions than at country levels and Catalonia isn’t the only region in the world
that carries the burden of the rest of the country. “It’s in an undisputed fact that northern Italy
carries the main burden of regional equalization. All the regions south of Rome are net
recipients. Taxpayers in Lombardy see about 30% of their taxes go to the poorer regions via
transfers. Conversely the residents of Calabria, southern Italy receive 55% more than they pay in
taxes themselves.” (Klein) Similarly, the province of Punjab in Pakistan, despite having the
largest budget collects more in taxes but contributes for the upliftment of the poorer provinces of
the country and thus has net public spending budget lower than what they should receive. So, the
bridge the gap between the poor and the rich regions of the country which is a duty of any central
government. “Perhaps of greater concern is Catalonia's public debt. The Catalan government
owes €77bn (£68bn) at the last count, or 35.4% of Catalonia's GDP. Of that, €52bn is owed to
the Spanish government.” (BBC) This is the largest debt of any autonomous region in Spain and
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if Catalonia is to gain independence they will need to shoulder Spain’s national debt as well and
this is worrying for any new nation to have large fiscal debts on them. If Catalan independence
supporters think they’ll be better off economically and financially without Spain, then not only
are they stepping into unchartered territory but are putting the livelihood of 7.5 million people at
risk.
Independence is not cheap. It is a life changing transformation for millions of people and
for generations to come for better or for worse. In Catalonia’s case all signs point to bad times if
Catalonia become an independent state. Catalonia should certainly not be granted independence
and Spain should take every measure necessary to keep it from seceding. Granting independence
to Catalonia based on illegal referendums with no guarantee of the authenticity of the results will
set a dangerous precedent for years to come and with nationalists campaigning across Europe,
smaller regions will only get a much-needed boost for their own movements and ultimately lead
to grave consequences for the unity and sustainability of the European Union. Catalonia’s
geographical location makes it dependent on the European union. Secession will lead leave the
newly born state in isolation. Since admission into the EU requires a unanimous decision, Spain
will block Catalonia from becoming a part and Catalonia’s thriving economy will be jolted to the
core as a major part of their exports will be stopped, foreign investment will stop flowing in and
with no EU country supporting Catalonia’s independence there will only be complete isolation
for the newly formed independent state. After the declaration of independence, the Spanish state
had called for snap elections on the 21st of December 2017 in a final attempt to break the
independence movement. Polling in Catalonia is closing at the time of writing. This election
would give a much clearer stance of hopefully a greater proportion of the population. A much
more viable solution would instead be to adopt the United Kingdom system of government.
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Countries in the UK e.g. Scotland have a broader range of autonomy. Apart from having their
own police, institutions and public services, each member country in the UK manages its own
tax system and only pays the central government in England its due share for the defense and
foreign ministry which all member companies share. This will give Catalonia greater autonomy
without having to leave the EU and risk the collapse of its economy. Whatever the future holds
one thing is certain, there is no certainty in the road ahead for the Catalan region and in a much
wider perspective this independence movement is sure to leave its marks on the European union.
WORK CITED
"Could Catalonia Make a Success of Independence?" BBC News. BBC, 10 Oct. 2017. Web. 21
Desk, News, and Piper Terrett. "How Does Catalan Independence Affect EU? | Alvexo™."
<https://www.alvexo.com/blog/business/market-outlookcatalan-independence-impacts-
eu-economy/>.
Editorial. "The Guardian View on Catalonia's Referendum: The Spanish State Has Lost |
Editorial." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 01 Oct. 2017. Web. 21 Dec. 2017.
<https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/01/the-guardian-view-on-
catalonias-referendum-the-spanish-state-has-lost>.
Greenfield, Patrick, Graham Russell, and Nicola Slawson. "Catalonia Referendum: 90% Voted
for Independence, Say Officials – as It Happened." The Guardian. Guardian News and
<https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2017/oct/01/catalan-independence-
referendum-spain-catalonia-vote-live>.
Henley, Jon. "An Independent Catalonia: Practicalities of Leaving Spain." The Guardian.
<https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/09/an-independent-catalonia-
practicalities-of-leaving-spain>.
Klein, Matthew C. "Euro Area Divergence More about Regions than Countries." FT Alphaville.
<https://ftalphaville.ft.com/2015/02/13/2118963/euro-area-divergence-more-about-
regions-than-countries/>.
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McRae, Hamish. "The Catalan Independence Referendum Is a Much Bigger Issue for the EU
than Brexit." The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 30 Sept. 2017.
referendum-spain-eu-economic-powerhouse-brexit-european-union-a7975766.html>.
Charts." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 10 Nov. 2014. Web. 21 Dec. 2017.
<https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/nov/10/why-an-independence-
referendum-in-catalonia-is-inevitable-in-two-charts>.