• A
  • A
  • A
  • ABC
  • ABC
  • ABC
  • А
  • А
  • А
  • А
  • А
Regular version of the site

European Integration and a Problem of Separatism / Case of Catalonia, the Basque Country and Galicia

Student: Ponomareva Nataliya

Supervisor: Georgy Kutyrev

Faculty: Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs

Educational Programme: Double degree programme in International Relations of the NRU HSE and the University of London (Bachelor)

Final Grade: 8

Year of Graduation: 2020

This paper attempts to explain whether European integration affects an increase or decrease in the separatist and nationalist tendencies of Spanish regions. The reasons for separatism in such Spanish autonomies as the Basque Country, Catalonia and Galicia will be discussed. Presumably, it would be possible to define particular factors that lead to mitigation and alleviation of the desire to secede. What is more, this paper will try to prove that there may not be only one factor at play that influences willingness of independence. European integration alone does not directly lead to higher degrees of regional desire to form a separate nation-state. Let alone different languages or border location cannot lead to support for separatist movements in the regions. European cooperation processes together with historical outcomes, economic development, differences in cultures and languages – might be seen as building blocks and may form a part of the whole picture. Many scholars have been debating the aspects and circumstances that lead to separatist tendencies. And the question still remains unanswered. This paper will try to argue that there could have been a range of factors that resulted in support for separatism. Besides, European integration might have been an important constituent part of it.

Full text (added May 5, 2020)

Student Theses at HSE must be completed in accordance with the University Rules and regulations specified by each educational programme.

Summaries of all theses must be published and made freely available on the HSE website.

The full text of a thesis can be published in open access on the HSE website only if the authoring student (copyright holder) agrees, or, if the thesis was written by a team of students, if all the co-authors (copyright holders) agree. After a thesis is published on the HSE website, it obtains the status of an online publication.

Student theses are objects of copyright and their use is subject to limitations in accordance with the Russian Federation’s law on intellectual property.

In the event that a thesis is quoted or otherwise used, reference to the author’s name and the source of quotation is required.

Search all student theses