CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
1 THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF SEPARATISM
1.1 The essence of ethnic separatism
1.2 Historical background of separatist movement in Europe
1.3 Characteristics of Western European separatism
2 PRACTICAL ISSUES OF ETHNIC SEPARATISM IN THE WESTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES AT THE PRESENT STAGE
2.1 Historical background and current state of ethnic conflict in Belgium
2.2 Historical and contemporary specifics of the separatist movement in Northern Ireland
2.3 Evolution of Basque nationalism: The ETA, Basque Fatherland and Liberty
3 REALITIES AND PERSPECTIVES OF ETHNIC SEPARATISM REGULATION IN WESTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
3.1 Eurоpean Free Allіance and its role in ethnic separatist movements
3.2 The prospects of Western European Ethnic conflicts regulation
CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
LIST OF REFERENCE SOURCES
1 THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF WESTERN EUROPEAN SEPARATISM
1.1 The essence of ethnic separatism
As it has been already stated in the introduction to this work, separatism is a complex phenomenon, which in turn can be considered from completely different scientific points of view.
To begin this examination it is necessary to build conceptual framework that will be helpful in revealing the essence of the phenomenon of separatism. Basic concepts somehow interacting with the problems of the phenomenon of separatism, may be defined as national sovereignty, state, national and cultural identity, regionalism, the nation's right to self-determination, national liberation struggles, ethnic conflicts, and so on.
In other words, we see that the problem of separatism extends primarily within ethnopolitology. But on the other hand, the separatist processes are determined not only by national sentiments and national identity, but also other factors. These factors may include social and economic components.
Hence, in Marxism-Leninism approach separatism is understood as a national liberation movement. Ultimately, the national liberation movement in Marxism akin to the class struggle. Social, but not ethnic identity plays a major role in this understanding of the studied phenomenon. One shouldn’t forget that the pursuit of economic independence is a form of the national liberation movement. Examples of this are the war for American independence and the Dutch bourgeois revolution.
Yet when it comes to such a phenomenon as separatism, we primarily mean the struggle of ethnic groups living on a territory of a particular state. This can be identified as the first common characteristic that defines separatism.
Secondly, this ethnic group is almost always centered on a specific territory. After all, it seems a little absurd, for example, gypsy separatism, because it is a nomadic people whose area of residence does not have time to evolve into any historical region of their settlement. Still, there are exceptions, but not in the traditions of this nation to usurp the territory.
In the course of these discussions it can be concluded that the essence of this phenomenon can be understood only by investigating the period of formation of national states in Europe in new time, as this was the first region in the world where nation-states began to form. Actually, this assumption does not contradict with the definition of separatism, this American political scientist D. Horowitz, which is as follows: "separatism as an output group and its territory under the jurisdiction of the larger state of which it is" [1, p.174].
2 PRACTICAL ISSUES OF ETHNIC SEPARATISM IN THE WESTERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES AT THE PRESENT STAGE
2.3 Evolution of Basque nationalism: The ETA, Basque Fatherland and Liberty
Throughout history, empires have risen and fallen, cultures have come and thrived and eventually died away, and other people have taken their places. Though everything in history will eventually change as time goes on, the types of conflicts that arise have remained surprisingly constant. One such example is the desire of a certain culture or group of people for their own independence and autonomy. In medieval times, empires conquered other people and imposed their own rule over the people, and in most cases the empire was constantly dealing with war and rebellion from the conquered peoples. Recent history has certainly been no exception. One prime example is in Spain, where in the north alone at least four different languages are spoken and different groups of people represented. These groups have long desired independence, or at the least increased autonomy, though their approaches to achieve this goal are varying. Perhaps the most interesting region is the Basque region on the French border. Though the official political party uses peaceful methods to achieve their aims, they are overshadowed in the media by the ETA, which uses widespread violence to gain attention. The conflict between the Spanish government and the Basque people, particularly the ETA, has existed for a very long time, but recently has been very eventful due in part to the Franco regime and more drastic measures from the opposing sides.
Basque Country in a region on the border between France and Spain, the majority of which is located in northern Spain. This is the central region of Basque conflicts, but it has united with Navarra, in northern Spain to the east of Basque Country to form what is considered the Basque Separatist Movement. The Basques are a very old culture, often thought to be one of the original European cultures. Their land is very hilly, which allows them to remain relatively isolated from the rest of Europe, though in the Middle Ages they did embrace Roman Catholicism. They are such a diverse and complex people, that entire museums have been devoted to defining their particular identify.
The Basque separatist movement can be simply summarized as the desire of the Basque people to achieve greater independence. There are varying degrees of separatist supports, ranging from those who simply want increased autonomy, to those that demand total independence from Spain. They believe that because the Basque region and culture is much older and so drastically different from Spain’s, they should be allowed to form their own country. As one Spanish reporter puts it,
[The ETA and Basque Separatist Movement] wants to establish an independent socialist Basque state straddling northern Spain and the southern end of France's Atlantic coast. The Basques consider their culture distinct from those of their neighbours and speak a language unlike any other in Europe. The Basque language (called Euskara) is believed to predate the arrival of the Indo-European languages to the continent, of which French, Spanish, German, Icelandic, Welsh, Serbo-Croat and almost all others are the modern descendants. The Basque region, home to large fishing ports, heavy industry and wealthy banks, has historically been one of the richest in Spain.
The Basque Separatist movement began as an idea, and eventually evolved into a movement and the foundation of a political party. However, in the past half-century it has evolved into a powerful sentiment among many people, and continues to cause hostile sentiments between the Spanish government and Basque citizens.
The movement first arose at the end of the nineteenth century under the leadership of Sabina de Arana y Goiri. After his death, the group was granted autonomy by the Republican government, which lasted through the Spanish civil war (1936-39). When the Franco regime eventually won the war and took power, he made sure that the Basque people suffered for having supported the Republicans. In April 1937, Franco had German aircraft bomb Guernica, a thriving Basque town, killing 1,000 people. The tragedy has been forever immortalized in a painting by Pablo Picasso, called “Guernica”, that depicts the pain, horror, and anguish felt by those that experienced the bombing and others around the world. This was the first tangible sign of the hatred Franco felt toward the Basque people, but it was certainly not the last.
