When ETA was formed during the period of Franco's dictatorship in 1959 the Basque Country had no autonomous powers and was very much under the rule of Spanish rulers. Not only did it have no powers, but they were also heavily surpressed by Franco. They were forbidden from speaking and teaching their own language, the national flag, the Ikurriña, was banned in public as were nationalist holidays. The Basque Country was surpressed due to the fact that Biscay and Guipuscoa fought for the Republican government against Franco during the Civil War of 1936 - 1939, and after they lost the ‘rebels’ were punished. Other areas within the Basque that sided with Franco such as Alava and Navarre however were given a small degree of autonomy for their perceived loyalty.
During the transition period to democracy after Franco’s death in 1975, the Basque country slowly regained some of its cultural identity that had been suppressed for over 30 years. The first signs of change for the Basque came just three days after Juan Carlos de Borbón took the throne. 15,000 political prisoners and those in exile were granted freedom, including members of ETA. A reform of the Spanish Constitution in 1978 further changed the way in which certain areas of Spain were seen, with areas such as Cantabria gaining autonomous statues. These signs of change however didn’t hinder the activities of ETA, and the years 1978-80 were their most deadly in terms of killings. Partly due the actions by ETA and in an attempt to diffuse the political tension, in the 1980s ETA accepted the government’s offer of pardons to all ETA prisoners, and in 1980 the Basque was granted autonomous status. For a summarised view of the 1978 Spanish Constitution which laid the foundations for Basque autonomy please see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Constitution_of_1978.
The Basque Country currently enjoys more autonomy than any other region in Spain. It has its own parliament, Ertzaintza (police force), education policy, taxes and its cultural traditions are promoted. Whereas during the Franco years the Basque language was suppressed which was a major issue for ETA, nowadays the language is very much promoted. In education, the majority of students are taught the Basque language, although in the north just 20% learn the language, though this is out of choice. During the Transition period many demands regarding the Basque Country have been met, although the primary issue of self determination of ETA hasn’t been met, which explains the continued existence of the organisation.
During the transition period to democracy after Franco’s death in 1975, the Basque country slowly regained some of its cultural identity that had been suppressed for over 30 years. The first signs of change for the Basque came just three days after Juan Carlos de Borbón took the throne. 15,000 political prisoners and those in exile were granted freedom, including members of ETA. A reform of the Spanish Constitution in 1978 further changed the way in which certain areas of Spain were seen, with areas such as Cantabria gaining autonomous statues. These signs of change however didn’t hinder the activities of ETA, and the years 1978-80 were their most deadly in terms of killings. Partly due the actions by ETA and in an attempt to diffuse the political tension, in the 1980s ETA accepted the government’s offer of pardons to all ETA prisoners, and in 1980 the Basque was granted autonomous status. For a summarised view of the 1978 Spanish Constitution which laid the foundations for Basque autonomy please see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Constitution_of_1978.
The Basque Country currently enjoys more autonomy than any other region in Spain. It has its own parliament, Ertzaintza (police force), education policy, taxes and its cultural traditions are promoted. Whereas during the Franco years the Basque language was suppressed which was a major issue for ETA, nowadays the language is very much promoted. In education, the majority of students are taught the Basque language, although in the north just 20% learn the language, though this is out of choice. During the Transition period many demands regarding the Basque Country have been met, although the primary issue of self determination of ETA hasn’t been met, which explains the continued existence of the organisation.
Given the extent that the Basque Country now has in self governance, can ETA justify their violent actions? Many moderate Basque nationalists are happy with the autonomy the Basque now receives, are ETA unrealistic in their demands or do they have another agenda? These could be further avenues to go down to try to get into the mindset of ETA.
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