Terrorism and Ethnonationalism: The Basques in

Will Stallings [email protected] I. Introduction III. What is ethno-nationalism? VI. Why am I talking to you about the Basques? • The conflict presented here is that of the Basque (“Euskaldunak”) people of What is terrorism? How do they represent ethno-? Spain, who have been a linguistic curiosity for much of their history, with Ethno-nationalism will be defined as “A sense of consciously exalting one’s • The Basques have demonstrated the sort of values characteristic of ethno- evidence tracing the population back to at least 5,000 years ago, and • over all others and placing emphasis on the exaltation of its nationalist movements throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. further evidence suggesting an even more ancient origin. culture and identity to one of international status.” • Their situation is also representative of the difficulty in resolving these • The Basque live in and around the Cantabrian Mountain range, in the According to the U.S. Department of State, terrorism is any “premeditated, conflicts. Much of the Basque Country is not culturally Basque and does counties of Vizcaya, Guipuzcoa, Alava, and Navarre in Spain, as well as in • the border region of Southwestern France. politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by not speak Basque. subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an • Many of the symbols associated with the Basque, such as the name • For much of the 20th century, the Basque Country and its people have been audience.” ‘Euskadi’, the flag of the CAV (the ”Ikurriña”), and their anthem all are due involved with ethno-nationalism (with accompanying terrorism) that has to Sabino Arana Goiri, founder of the PNV in the late 19th century. resulted in conflict with the Spanish state. • The ETA called for the creation of a Basque state rooted in socialist IV. Map of the Basque Country elements and a Basque identity, using domestic terrorist actions in order to I. Historical Information create pressure on the Spanish government to capitulate to their demands. • The population is divided on the question of independence. Although the • 1891: Basque ethno-nationalism begins with the formation of the PNV, 1979 Basque autonomy referendum only registered about a 60% turnout, or Parti Nacionalista Vasco (Basque Nationalist Party). This political 95% of those voting registered a “yes” vote. organization united Basque middle-class urbanites with rural Basques • Despite being a very well-off industrial region, they still represent an in a reaction against non-Basque immigration into the region. important case in understanding ethno-nationalism. They have a very high • 1939: The Spanish Civil War created tensions between the Basque GDP and HDI, but defy expectations by harboring this sort of conflict. people and the Spanish state. The Falangist Party, the fascist ruling party of Spain after the War, harshly repressed Basque ethno- nationalist movements in favor of Castilian nationalism. • 1959: The Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA), a terrorist group, formed out VII. Flag of the CAV of frustration over oppression under Falangist rule as well as the passivity of the PNV government-in-exile. • 1973: The ETA’s assassination of Francoist official Luis Carrero Blanco led to a succession crisis and was the highest profile terrorist action committed by the group. • 1979: The establishment of the Basque Autonomous Community (Comunidad Autonomico Vasco or CAV) was met with disapproval; as much as 40% of the population refused to vote. • 2011: After the Donostia-San Sebastian Conference, the ETA announced a halt to all offensive actions. • May 2018: The ETA officially disbands. However, the conflict between V. Statistics of the Basque Country many Basques and the Spanish State still remains. Throughout the Population and well-being: organization’s existence, it killed more than 800 civilians and officials. • Basque-speaking population in the Basque Country is 979,163 and represents 2% of the total population of Spain. • Total population in the Basque Country: 2,649,000 (people living in the VIII. Beyond the Classroom II. Language information French and Spanish Basque provinces but including some people who • It is known as “Euskara” to the Basque people. do not necessarily identify as Basque) • The research in this presentation was conducted in conjunction with • The Basque language is likely the oldest in Western Europe. • HDI (2015): 0.916 Isabella Williams, a fellow student researcher and Honors College student. • It is unrelated to any other extant language on the planet. • Life Expectancy: 83.15 • The Beyond the Classroom work was completed under the advisement of • Their language and culture has survived multiple invasions over the Economy: Stanley Dubinsky and Michael Gavin for the Internet Encyclopedia of Global past two millennia: The Celtic Invasions two thousand years ago; the • Total GDP: $81.05 billion total GDP ($1.311 trillion for all of Spain) Ethnolinguistic Conflict centuries of Roman occupation; the Muslim occupation of the Iberian • Per Capita GDP: $37,330 per capita GDP ($28,157 for Spain) • My work was sponsored by the University of South Carolina Honors College peninsula; and centuries under the Spanish crown. Exploration Grant.

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