Catalan Nationalism: 1881-1898
The Catalan Union
In 1881, the League launched the creation of the Union of Catalan to move the Catalan nationalist movement throughout Catalonia. All the assemblies, unless the union made a statement that they were outside of Barcelona’s faith. Organizations were advocating for Catalan autonomy. In 1892, it became an assembly in Manresa and had a draft of the statute known as the Base of Manresa. The first part consists of central Spain, where a federal state would establish central power in Catalonia. The second part was about regional power.
Admiral and Federalism
The federal republic was going with Pi i Maragall. These two were distanced by the type of politics. One wanted a general policy for all states, while the other wanted a specific policy for Catalonia. In 1879, the first newspaper in Catalan was created, and it was called the Catalan Newspaper. It participated in various conferences in Catalonia, where the first was to agree on the defense of Catalan civil law, and the second was to disapprove of militancy in dynastic parties. In 1886, he published a book where he showed Catalan political theory. In recognizing history, this book recognized historical cultural nationalism and its language-based particularism and civil law itself, and it was recognized that Catalonia had the right to be a nation and have its own self-government.
Memorial of Grievances
A document already written in protest of Spain that stated they were about to sign an agreement to unify Britain and civil law. This document of protest was called the Memorial of Grievances, inspired and written by Admiral of the Catalan Center. The memorial alleged: oppression of Catalonia by Castile, harmonization of interests, aspirations of the different regions of the state, that is, defense against economic competition, protection law, and language and culture. All this happened while the king died without achieving a positive response to the document.
Crisis of 1898: Consequences
Nationalist League
In 1888, there was a universal exhibition in Catalonia. Within the center, there was a Catalan group that supported the exhibition, while another group did not. The group that was supported, which was more conservative, decided to leave the Catalan Center in 1887 and founded the League of Catalonia. The young people of Catalonia were in schools in the League of Catalonia. The performance of the League was: the adoption of the draft in 1888 and support for the Floral Games that were sponsored by the Queen Regent. Others were sponsored by the Admiral.
Message to the Queen Regent
This is a document drafted in the League that was presented to Maria Cristina. The League took advantage of a visit to Barcelona to give an economy where it proposed to establish something similar to that awarded by Austria to Hungary. After the message, the League proposed a companion for the right angles and civil government to succeed in correcting the civil code. This meant a victory for the rectification of Catalan, but in the end, they did not succeed, and it eventually disappeared.
Peace of Paris
Signed in 1898, Spain agreed to abandon Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines, which passed to North American control. This led to the sale of the Mariana and Caroline Islands, losing what was left of Germany’s colonial empire.
Regenerationism
This was an intellectual movement between the 19th and 20th centuries that sought to reflect objectively on the causes of the decline of Spain as a nation. It should be distinguished from the Generation of ’98, with which it is often confused because, although both movements expressed the same pessimistic opinion about Spain, regenerationists did so objectively and with scientifically documented evidence, while the Generation of 1898 did so more subjectively and artistically. Regenerationist writers reacted against the decomposition of the Canovist system, publishing studies and essays that denounced this situation.
Regionalist League
After electoral success, two groups favored a new political entity: the League. It was part of the bourgeoisie class and the Church. It advocated for autonomy within a Spanish multinational state, was against the restoration, and defended protectionism. Leaders included Prat de la Riba and Francesc Cambó.
Accession to the League
Alfonso XII and Antonio Maura visited Barcelona. Within the League, there were two groups: the moderates, who favored and took advantage of the visit to request more autonomy, and the progressives, who were against the League. The nationalists and republicans separated from the League.