Fernando,

You're right. The elected government in 1936 holds no sway today. The rule applied to the Basques is that of a dictator, and the people of Spain are continuing that dictatorial rule over the Basques because it's convenient to keep it that way.

In 1936 both sides of the Civil War were burning churches and shooting Priests because of their politics.

In 1931, after the revolution, and election, that brought an elected party to office, the people lashed out at their largest oppressor in Spain, which was actually the Catholic Church that kept them in abject poverty while they became fat off the labor of the people. In essence, they asked for it.

But, in Basque Country, the Priests were leaders of the revolution against the Monarchy and Church ownership of nearly everything. They were with the people. They weren't harmed.

As for the "last" Republican government taking control by coup d'etat, that happened after the elected Cortes granted freedom to the Basques, and has no influence over what was offered. They were already free, before that upheaval.

So, when did the coup d'etat take place? During the war itself, and was totally political. When it happened, the Republican government had essentially been killed. But their laws were still on the books, and their decision to free the Basques, remained there, until Franco overthrew the decision through his powers as a dictator. It was not rescinded by a freely elected body of the Cortes.

In reference to political imprisonments, and killings, it was going on long before the revolution. The Monarchy was systematically having anyone who "disagreed" with their rule taken away without benefit of law, and disposed of. So once again, it was retribution we saw from the Republicans after they won the 1931 Civil War.

What would the US recognize? We'd recognize the laws and the decisions of a duly elected government over those of a dictator, but the problem is, in the US, we were too afraid that the Communists were entrenched in the 1931 Civil War, and actually helped to contribute their very rise to power with the coup you referred to at a later date. I'm afraid we screwed up. We should have answered the pleas of the people in 1936, and supported them. It would have kept the Communists from eventually taking control.

You say that over half the Basques don't want independence, but let's face facts. The Madrid government is afraid that may not be true, or they would allow the referendum.

You'd think they'd be happy to allow it, since they systematically moved non-Basques into Basque Country for decades to "dilute" the Basque influence over the region.

This was a calculated move by Franco to essentially "occupy" the region with non-Basques, who also were granted positions of authority, supported by the military, and given every feasible support to succeed, while the Basques themselves were held down, and the government tried to force them into submission.

What's happened in the region is in a great part the responsibility of the government in Madrid, no matter how you look at the issue.

Like I've said repeatedly, and CaliBasco has said as well, ETA will continue to function as a force until such time as the people of Spain live up to the agreements reached by the Cortes in 1936, or at least grant them a referendum that will allow them to determine which direction they want to pursue.

As for the majority of those who say they have left Basque Country for other climes in Spain because of the unrest, the majority of them seem to come from families that were transplanted to Basque Country by Franco in the first place. The ones that were sent there to dilute the Basque legacy.

Wolf