Tras el fracaso de Estella: las pautas y claves del Estatuto de 1936

Abstract

Following the abolition of the fueros or special charters, the recovery of the selfgovernment system lost in the 19th century was widely proclaimed throughout the Basque Country. Although this demand transcended party boundaries, it was the political nationalism founded by Sabino Arana that pursued the goal most vociferously and energetically. The article examines two previous failures and then identifies three basic conditions which, if not met, would largely determine the failure of the autonomist movement, and, if met, would contribute to its success: internal cohesion, the choice of a politically expedient ally «at home», and the support of a substantial section of the Central Government. The assembly of Basque municipalities held in Pamplona in June 1932 was crucial in paving the way for the disengagement of Navarre from the Basque autonomous process, but was also instrumental in precipitating the political process that caused the Basque Nationalist Party to abandon its right-wing stance and move towards the centre of the political arena. In 1936, this swing allowed the party to meet the three aforementioned conditions and, with the help —occasionally unenthusiastic but ultimately decisive— of the left, to bring about the first autonomous Basque Government.