¿Protodiplomacia exterior o ilusiones ópticas? : el nacionalismo vasco, el contexto internacional y el Congreso de Nacionalidades Europeas (1914-1937)

Núñez Seixas, Xosé M.

Publication year:

1995

Publication place:

Donostia-San Sebastián

ISSN:

0212-6397

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Summary

The pape analises the protodiplomatic activity carried out by the Basque Nationalist movement from the outbreak of World War I to the Spanish Civil War, focusing on the interplay of images and realities. Although the international activity of Basque nationalists remained somewhat limited in comparison with that developed by Catalan nationalists, the former also experienced the strong influence of the diffusion of the nationality principle during the Great War, which determined the first contacts at the international level (and so CNV´s delegates took part at the activities of the Union des Nationalités). After 1918, however, Basque nationalism hardly payed any attention to the new hopes raised by the formation of the League of Nations´ system of protection of minorities, and it was only by the end of the 20´s when the Basque nationalists began to collaborate with the most important nationalities´ organisation at the European level, the Congress of European Nationalities. After 1930, the reunified PNV devoted great efforts to the external protodiplomacy of Basque nationalism, and this fact was related to the internal political evolution of Basque and Spanish politics (the fight for Home-Rule, the formation of the Galeuzca alliance, etc.) ; however, the self-image held of PNV´s leaders of Euskadi being a Nation instead of merely a national minority clearly hindered any clear uderstanding with the Congress of European Nationalities. Once again, the wishful thinking was stronger than reality