2014 In the 21st century, identities are multiple and changing. Therefore, seen from today, it is very surprising the intensity and persistence with which the Catalan identity has been maintained during the last three centuries. In this chapter of the "300" series we review how collective memory, a differentiated economy, the maintenance of one's own language and an unbeatable civil society have led this identity to the 21st century. After the War of the Spanish Succession, the victors built a great fortress in Barcelona, the Citadel. This fortress served to monitor the city and to suppress its protests, but it also became a permanent reminder of the defeat in the war and the lost constitutions. The Citadel, unwittingly, maintained the historical memory for several generations. And the people of Barcelona did not stop until it was demolished.
Today Catalans have a peaceful and understanding image. But, during the last three centuries, Catalonia has lived most of the years under violence, sometimes with brutal episodes. To the point that the fame of violent Catalans crossed borders. In this episode of the “300” series we explore why this country has lived so many years under violence and what we have done or what we have not done to stop it.
Over the last three centuries, Catalonia has gone from being an agricultural and commercial country to being an industrial power. And this transformation has not been easy for a country that has never had raw materials or energy resources. Moreover, this economic transformation, so different from the situation of other Spanish regions, has often not been understood or addressed in the economic policies of Spanish governments. In this episode of the "300" series we will review this transformation that has placed Catalonia as one of the great productive regions of Europe.
Antoni Tortajada tells us several daily stories that allow us to see what has happened to the language of this country in the last three hundred years. The question is: how come we still speak Catalan three hundred years later? After 1714, the new Spanish administration launched a project to unify the whole territory with a single language, Spanish. But in Catalonia at that time, practically only Catalan was spoken. In 1786, Judge Francisco de Zamora toured all of Catalonia on a commission from King Charles III: to find out whether the measures that had been dictated to achieve that goal had taken effect or not.