Barcelona’s Tragic Week of 1909 & Catalan Commonwealth
Tragic Week in Barcelona, July 1909
The Tragic Week was a popular uprising in Barcelona that lasted one week.
Causes
- War of Morocco (1906): A colonial war where Spain aimed to dominate the area north of Melilla to Tangier.
- Algeciras Pact (1906): An agreement with France to split Morocco, with Spain gaining territories.
- Guerrilla warfare in the Rif region.
Development
In 1909, reinforcements were needed for the army in Morocco, mainly from Barcelona and nearby areas. The labor movement and unions called a general strike on July 26th. Barcelona was the epicenter of the strike, with violent pickets. Trams were heavily damaged. The strike escalated into an armed insurrection. The army and police responded with force. The next day, 60-70 monasteries were burned. Rebels formed barricades on the main streets of Barcelona. The military imposed a curfew to quell the insurgency.
This week was marked by three key issues in Barcelona: the Morocco war, anti-clericalism, and the labor movement. The Civil Guard patrolled Barcelona, arresting suspects. Repression followed. Five people were executed after trials. Francesc Ferrer i Guardia, an anarchist teacher, was a prominent figure. The government resigned, leading to a crisis in the restoration period.
The Catalan Commonwealth
The failure of Catalan Solidarity led the Regionalist League to seek an agreement with the government in Madrid for Catalan self-government. Despite initial reluctance, the league secured a royal decree authorizing the provincial pool for administrative purposes.
The Commonwealth addressed a long-standing demand of the Catalans for a federation of the four provincial councils. Although its function was purely administrative, it gained significant political importance, representing the first recognition of Catalonia’s personality by the Spanish state since 1714.
Presided over by Prat de la Riba and later by Puig i Cadafalch, both members of the league, the Commonwealth undertook major infrastructure projects, including roads, ports, waterworks, railroads, telephones, and health and welfare services. It also focused on increasing agricultural yields, technological improvements in forestry, and educational services. It enhanced technology education for Catalan industry.
Cultural and Scientific Institutions
The Commonwealth created and consolidated several cultural and scientific institutions to promote the Catalan language and culture. These included:
- The Institute of Catalan Studies
- The Library of Catalonia
- The Industrial School
- The College of Fine Arts
- The College of Business Studies
- The School of Labor
The School of Local Administration was also created, producing a body of Catalan officials. A key cultural achievement was the support for Pompeu Fabra’s work in normalizing the Catalan language.