Ethnicity and Violence: the Case of Radical Basque Nationalism Diego
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Ethnicity and Violence: The Case of Radical Basque Nationalism Diego Muro Ruiz Thesis submitted in partial requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The London School of Economics and Political Science University of London 2004 UMI Number: U615471 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U615471 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 I HESfcS /' ^ 77 The aim of this thesis is to study the role of ethnicity in ETA’s 35 year campaign of political violence. I argue that both Francoism and a long tradition of Basque radical nationalism are important in understanding ETA’s emergence. In this tradition Spain and the Spaniards (regardless of their political regime) are blamed for the continuous decline of the Basque nation. In order for the Basque nation to return to its glorious Golden Age, it is argued, the Basques need to expel the Spaniards using whatever means are necessary. I maintain that Basque radical nationalism precedes ETA by at least 60 years. It was the founder of Basque nationalism, Sabino Arana, who looked nostalgically at the Basque past and first proposed a racially pure Basque nation with his motto ‘Euzkadi is the land of the Basques’. He also drew on a previous tradition of myths, memories and symbols which depicted Basques as a chosen and noble people who spoke a divine language. All these myths, which gave the Basques a distinct sense of identity, were mobilised by Arana in order to construct a radical project for the secession of the Basque Country. The nationalist discourse they created was based on a Basque Golden Age which was followed by a long period of decline caused by Spaniards. Finally, a renewal of the nation would come when Basques achieved their political independence. This radical discourse was in a minority until 1968 when ETA committed its first killing. However, Francoist repression ‘proved’ to all Basques that Arana was right: the Basques were oppressed by the Spaniards and in order to be free they needed to get rid of the Spaniards, by violent means if necessary. Following the teachings of Sabino Arana, members of ETA started a campaign to liberate the glorious Basque nation from the decadent Spanish nation. By promoting a Manichean dichotomy between Basques and Spaniards, ETA managed to use violence as an effective ethnic boundary. Nowadays, radical Basque nationalism has an estimated support of 13% of the Basque electorate. There is nothing to suggest that this is going to change radically in the short-term. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES.................................................................................................................7 LIST OF FIGURES................. 8 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...................................................... 9 GLOSSARY......................................................................................................................... 11 MAP OF THE BASQUE PROVINCES........................................................................... 19 INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................20 Purpose of the Thesis ...................................................................................................... 21 Approach, Methodology and Sources .............................................................................23 Concepts and Terms ........................................................................................................25 Structure of the Research ................................................................................................ 28 1. WHY DO PEOPLE SACRIFICE FOR THE BASQUE NATION?.......................30 1.1. History of Violence: ETA....................................................................................... 32 1.2. Why do People Sacrifice for the Nation?................................................................36 1.2.1. Instrumental Violence ..................................................................................37 1.2.2. Theories of Social Discontent ......................................................................39 1.2.3. Culture and Violence ...................................................................................42 1.2.3.1.1. History of Ideas...........................................................................42 1.2.3.1.2. Sociology.................................................................................... 43 1.2.3.1.3. Anthropology..............................................................................44 1.2.4. History of Violence: Radical Basque Nationalism .................................... 46 1.3. Conclusion ................................................................................................................50 2. THE BASQUE GOLDEN AGE.................................................................................. 52 2.1. A Nation’s Golden Age: A Necessary Myth...........................................................53 2.2. The Basque Golden Age .......................................................................................... 58 2.2.1. Religious Aspects of the Basque Golden Age ............................................61 2.2.2. Social Aspects of the Basque Golden Age ................................................. 64 2.2.3. Political Aspects of the Basque Golden Age ..............................................67 2.3. Basque Romanticism ................................................................................................72 3 2.4. Conclusion ................................................................................................................75 3. THE EMERGENCE OF BASQUE NATIONALISM (1833-1903).......................77 3.1. The Spanish Nation-Building Process .....................................................................79 3.2. Building Blocks of Basque Nationalism .................................................................81 3.2.1. Carlist Wars..................................................................................................81 3.2.2. Foralism........................................................................................................86 3.3. Sabino de Arana Goiri (1865-1903) ........................................................................87 3.3.1. Industrialisation ............................................................................................88 3.3.2. Biography and the Nationalist Project.........................................................91 3.3.3. Political Doctrine ......................................................................................... 94 3.3.3.1. Race....................................................................................................... 96 3.3.3.2. Language................................................................................................ 98 3.3.3.3. Religion.................................................................................................100 3.3.3.4. History..................................................................................................101 3.4. Conclusion ..............................................................................................................103 4. BETWEEN AUTONOMY AND INDEPENDENCE (1903-1939)....................... 106 4.1. The Basque Nationalist Party: Growth and Fragmentation .................................. 106 4.1.1. Beyond Party-Politics.................................................................................107 4.1.2. Arana’s ‘Spanish Evolution’: Moderates vs. Radicals ............................. 110 4.1.3. The Split Between Moderates and Radicals ...................................^..........113 4.2. The ‘Basque Problem’: Authoritarian and Democratic Responses ......................118 4.2.1. Primo de Rivera’s Dictatorship, 1923-1931 ............................................ 119 4.2.2. Second Republic, 1931-1936 .................................................................... 123 4.2.3. The Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939 .......................................................... 128 4.3. Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 133 5. RADICAL BASQUE NATIONALISM DURING FRANCOISM (1939-1975) ..135 5.1. Francoism and the Birth of ETA, 1939-1968 ......................................................135 5.1.1. The Nationalist’s Silence ............................................................................136 5.1.2. The Diplomatic Bet.....................................................................................140 5.1.3. The Reaction of the Nationalist Youth ...................................................... 143 4 5.2. The Ideology of ETA..............................................................................................146 5.2.1. ETA’s Nationalism .....................................................................................146