nd France. By the mid-1500's Navarre was divided and absorbed into Spain and France along the current border (more or less). In Spain, the Basques, especially those of the Vascongadas, retained special "fueros", privileges of self-governance and local assemblies for that purpose. The Basques were not individually subjects of the crown, but rather as a group subject to the crown (as long as they resided in the Vascongadas). In the 1800's a series of civil wars were fought in Spain (the "Carlist Wars") between factions who either sought to retain the medieval legal structure of Spain, or to reform it using the principles of the French Revolution. Rural Basques sided with the more conservative faction in order to preserve the fueros. When they lost, many of them fled Spain. The loss of the fueros became more critical under Franco, his regime sought to take the integration of the different linguistic minorities in Spain one step further. He pushed for total Castillianization. Therefore, Catalan, Galician, and Basque were to be eradicated. After Franco’s in1975, King Juan Carlos II and the Spanish Parliament established a system of autonomous regions that restored the fueros in spirit, if not in every detail. The Basques are, nowadays, seeing to obtain concessions that would allow them greater autonomy in political matters. However, there is a also a more radical faction of the Basque national movement that is seeking complete independence. This faction is usually related to the ETA who is also actively involved in terrorist activity against members of the Spanish government. Unifying Elements of the Basque Nation When considering the historical background of the Basque people, in relation to that of other ethnic groups in Spain and France, it is possible to observe that the objective elements that inspire the deeply felt nationalism within the Basque community are primarily ethnic by nature. Geertz, in his piece, The Question of Def...
