Imperialism In Spain

Spain is a recognized sovereign state located in Europe and within the country there are many different regions and communities. The concept of Spain as one nation is therefore a problem and is something that is debated throughout the country. Although the vast majority of the population recognizes the existence of the Spanish state, what it means to be “Spanish” is very complicated. In one region in north eastern Spain called Catalonia, the people here deny the unity of Spain and accuse Castile, another region where the people do accept Spain as one nation, and so to Madrid, of social and political imperialism. Indeed, it is through this belief and many others that the Catalans base their ongoing fight for independence on to this day.

Catalonia

Following elections in 1977 the Generalitat was re-established and the Catalonian region was almost fully revived. During this time, a cultural movement known as the Renaixença (Rebirth) was promoted to revive the Catalan language, arts and architecture that had long been in decline. This movement had the backing of many important figures including, most notably, Antoni Gaudi whose influential architectural work still stands in Barcelona to this day. Parallel to this, and equally important with regards to the revival of Catalan, was the industrial revolution in the region. Torn by war and the victim of political imperialism, Catalan had always struggled and to make things worse the region was also poor in natural resources such as iron, coal and grain. However, it seems they made the most of what they did have and that was cotton. The textile industry became a huge part of the Catalonian economy and fortunes were made so quickly that this period became known as the Febre D’Or (Gold

It is here they collect taxes and decide where fiscal revenues will be spent throughout the country. So the Catalan taxpayer pays taxes to Madrid in exchange for public expenditure. This has and is still causing many problems in Spain and is one of the main arguments used by pro-independence Catalans as to why they should be allowed secession from Spain. The region makes up around 16 % of Spain’s population and is in fact the country’s richest region, accounting for almost one fifth of the nation’s GDP. This has caused a widespread feeling that central government takes much more than it gives back. A number of studies in recent years have proven that Catalonia is not only paying more than it receives back, but it also has one of the highest deficits of any region of the European Union. In more absolute terms, the deficit is estimated around 6.7 billion and 9 billion euros. Having seen this I found that in Scotland, where many people too do not consider themselves merely part of the United Kingdom but an independent nation, enjoys fiscal surpluses. Catalans believe they are carrying a huge fiscal burden that without it, they could be much more successful on many different