Catalonia (polity)

The Catalonia historical region and autonomous community of Spain is located in the northeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula between the Mediterranean coast and the Pyrenees. The territory of Catalonia has the shape of a triangle. In the east it borders with France and Andorra . The total area of ​​Catalonia is 32 091 km².

The coastline is 580 km. The highest point is peak (3115 m), located in the Pyrenees mountains in the northern part of the country.

Most of Catalonia has a Mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers and mild and relatively rainy winters.

Key episodes in the history of Catalonia

• 988 : Count of Barcelona Borrell II declares independence ^{[3] of} his county from the Frankish state .
• 1640 - 1652 : on September 6, 1640, President of the Government Pau Claris ( Cat. Pau Claris ) declares independence ^{[4] of the} Catalan Republic, but already on January 23, 1641, Louis XIII is sent a request for a protectorate , and the answer comes on December 30, 1641. In this situation, Catalonia remains until October 1652, when the Spanish troops capture Barcelona .
• 1714 : During the Spanish Succession War , Barcelona was besieged and captured. Catalan autonomy was completely suppressed, the Catalan constitution was repealed and the struggle began to use the Catalan language.
• 1810 - 1812 : Napoleon I made Catalonia an independent state under the control of France .
• 1812 - 1814 : Catalonia is part of France. After the defeat of Napoleon in the war of the sixth coalition, Catalonia was returned to Spain.
• 1873 : Catalonia declares its independence, but after the threat of invasion from Spain, Catalonia abandons its independence.
• 1931 : Francesc Macia , elected Chairman of the Government of Catalonia, announces its independence. In the same year, the Second Spanish Republic was formed and Catalonia was included in it as an autonomous region.
• 1934 : The Generalitat, led by Luis Kompanis, announced the proclamation of the Catalan state. But just two days later, Kompanis surrendered after the suppression of speeches by the government.
• 1939 : Francisco Franco comes to power, which abolishes the autonomy of Catalonia, fights with the use of the Catalan language in the region.
• 2017 : The Generalitat of Catalonia declared independence from Spain.

First Independence Period

Spain, in an attempt to confront France, announced the call of the inhabitants of Catalonia for military service, in addition, an army was deployed in Catalonia, whose food was completely laid on the shoulders of the Catalans. This led to a bloody suppression of the outbreak of riots. As a result, in 1640, a revolt against Spanish absolutism begins, and the government of Catalonia, led by Pau Claris ^[5], announces the creation of the Catalan Republic under the protectorate of France.

In 1641, Catalonia reached an agreement with France, and French troops entered the territory of Catalonia, the king of France Louis XIII becomes the count of Barcelona. Thanks to French support, the Catalans managed to fight back from the Spaniards for ten years - until 1652 , when, taking advantage of the fatigue of the local population from the French occupation, the royal troops besieged Barcelona for the second time. Barcelona surrendered on the condition that Catalonia would be guaranteed autonomy, and its national institutions would exist separately from the Spanish. King of Spain Philip IV agreed to this agreement, and along with the end of the war, Catalonia became part of Spain.

Second Independence Period

In 1869, representatives of Catalonia , Aragon , Valencia, and the Balearic Islands signed the Tortosa Pact , which envisaged the reorganization of Spain from a unitary monarchy into a federal democratic republic . ^[6]

In 1873, due to the political crisis in Spain, King Amadeus I abandoned the throne, and the First Spanish Republic was created . Along with this, the elected president of Catalonia, announces the creation of the Catalan state. The reaction to this action was the threat of an armed invasion of Catalonia by the head of government of the First Spanish Republic, Estanislao Figueres . Catalonia was forced to abolish its independence. During the second Carlist war, Catalonia supported the Carlist side, therefore, after the end of the war in 1874 and the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty, the new government carries out a series of repressive measures against Catalonia.

Third Independence Period

In 1931, along with the fall of the Prima de Rivera regime in Spain, the Second Spanish Republic was established . The leftist forces of Catalonia were involved in this process, and at the same time, they ensured the victory of Francesc Masiah in the election of the Chairman of the Government of Catalonia. A few hours later he declared the independence of Catalonia and the creation of the Catalan Republic. It was assumed that Catalonia and Spain would form a single confederal state , but the Spanish government was concerned about this news, so three ministers were sent to Catalonia ( en: Fernando de los Ríos , en: Lluís Nicolau d'Olwer and en: Marcel·lí Domingo ) for negotiations with Francesc Masiah. In the end, they reached an agreement: Catalonia gave up its full independence, but it was granted substantial autonomy within the framework of the Spanish Republic. ^[7]

Fourth Independence Period

On October 6, 1934, the head of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Luis Companis, and the chairman of the party ERC (Left Republicans of Catalonia) declared independence of Catalonia. ^[8] This was one of the successive steps of the coalition of left parties against the coalition of right parties ( CEDA ), which came to power as a result of democratic elections in 1933 .

Government forces, led by Moroccan war veteran General Francisco Franco , quickly isolated the hotbeds of the uprising and crushed the rally almost across the country. Troops subordinated to General Batet Domingo and stationed in Barcelona surrounded the Generalitat building and bombarded it, thanks to which the government of Catalonia surrendered on the morning of October 7. ^{[9] The} autonomy of Catalonia was abolished, and Luis Companis was sentenced to 30 years in prison. But already in 1936, after the victory of the left forces in the elections in Spain, he was released and reinstated.

Fifth Independence Period

The independence of Catalonia from Spain is provided for by the declaration of independence, signed by the head of Catalonia, Carles Puchdemon, on October 10, 2017 , on the basis of an independence referendum on October 1, 2017 , in which 90% of the autonomy population that participated in the vote supported the secession from Spain ^[10] . Finally, independence from Spain was proclaimed by the Parliament of Catalonia on October 27, 2017. On October 30, the Parliament of Catalonia recognized the decision of the Spanish authorities to dissolve ^{[11] [1]} . On October 31, the Constitutional Court of Spain, citing article 161.2 of the Spanish Constitution, annulled the declaration of independence of Catalonia ^[2] .