Catalan independentism

Catalan independentism is a political movement which supports the independence of Catalonia from Spain and France. It is sometimes extended to the so-called "Catalan Countries", the whole Catalan-speaking domain.

The Estelada flag, in its blue and red versions, has become its main symbol.

Some Catalanist authors argue that first precedents of Catalan independentism may date back as far as 1640, with the unsuccessful first Catalan Republic after Reaper's War, and subsequently during the War of the Spanish Succession. However, in the modern sense, the first political parties which started defining themselves as separatists were created between the 1920s and the 1930s in Spanish Catalonia. The main separatist party created at this time was Estat Català and its branch called Bandera Negra, others independentist parties born from Estat Català were: Nosaltres Sols, the Partit Nacionalista Català and the Partit Català Proletari.

After the Spanish Civil War, members of Estat Català and Nosaltres Sols founded the Front Nacional de Catalunya which became the main pro-independence party. However, one might argue that modern Catalan independentism was actually born in the 1960s with the Partit Socialista d'Alliberament Nacional (PSAN). Since then, the pro-independence movement has assumed a mostly left-wing political trend and has often shifted its focus from "independence for Catalonia" to "independence for the 'Catalan Countries'". By the 1970s, the PSAN split into several factions, and many other groups appeared, including the armed organization Terra Lliure.

In the 1980s, the Moviment de Defensa de la Terra (MDT) became the major pro-independence political group but this too became divided by the end of the decade. During the 1990s, existing political parties such as Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya and the linguistic-national initiative Crida a la Solidaritat progressively evolved towards a more pro-independence stance.Modern Independentism Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) is currently the only organization campaigning explicitly for independence represented in the Catalan Parliament.

They won a 7.86% of the total Catalan votes in the last 2008 general elections. A number of members and voters of Convergència i Unió (CiU), the party with the majority of seats at the catalan parliament also give less explicit support to independentism. Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya has attracted since 2007 a number of independentists into its ranks by means of the Casa Gran del Catalanisme, a project which, among other causes, includes the defense of the self-determination of Catalonia. Also in the left wing party Iniciativa per Catalunya are several members that support independentism.

Other independentist smaller parties or coalitions, without present representation in any parliament, are Estat Català, Unitat Nacional de Catalunya, Endavant, the PSAN, the MDT and the CUP. There are also youth sections such as the Maulets, el jovent independentista revolucionari or the Coordinadora d'Assemblees de Joves de l'Esquerra Independentista, and the students' organizations SEPC and FNEC.

In recent years Catalan independentism reasons have received modest support from individuals coming from a broader political spectrum other than the usual left or far-left Catalan nationalism. This phenomenon includes the liberal economist Xavier Sala i Martín , also liberal economist Ramon Tremosa Balcells, that will lead CiU's ticket for the European parlament in the 2009 election, lawyer and FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta or the jurist and former member of the Consejo General del Poder Judicial Alfons López Tena.

The think tank Cercle d'Estudis Sobiranistes, led by the jurists Alfons López Tena and Hèctor López Bofill was founded in 2007; it has since lobbied that has summoned a number of lawmakers, professors, businessmen, professionals, economists, journalists and intellectuals for the cause of Catalonia's independence.

The latest additions to the independentist movement are the CUP (Candidatures d'Unitat Popular), with a growing presence in all the territory, and Reagrupament party, with the catalan ex-minister Joan Carretero. The PDD (Plataforma pel Dret a Decidir) and 10 Mil.cat are another popular, influent and active platforms.