| dc.description.abstract | The Basque Country, a region along the Spanish-Franco border, has a long history of independence and autonomy. In the modern era, from 1959 until 2011, the domestic terrorist group Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) waged a campaign of political violence primarily concentrated in the Basque Autonomous Community in pursuit of the region’s independence from Spain. The group was ultimately unsuccessful and declared a permanent ceasefire in 2011. I analyze the important political and economic factors that contributed to ETA’s prolonged existence. In the economy, high youth unemployment in the 1980s and 1990s created a large pool of recruits that helped sustain ETA’s campaign. At the same time, ETA’s activities reinforced negative economic performance by damaging the region’s economy. Basque nationalist political parties also pushed for independence from Spain but sought to do so through established political processes. Despite being officially distinct entities, the “nationalist left” tacitly accepted ETA’s violence for many years and viewed the group as the military wing of the nationalist movement. This support eroded over time as ETA hampered nationalist parties’ ability to further their goals and the electorate’s opposition to the group grew. Ultimately, a loss of support among nationalist left parties led to ETA’s demise and declaration of a ceasefire. Since the ceasefire in 2011, there has been increased support for the nationalist left and improvements in the region’s economy. | en |
