ETA and the "Basque Problem"

The View from London (1968-93)
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-041-03946-4
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 314 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm

Reihe: Routledge Studies in Modern European History

Drawing on extensive archival research at the UK National Archives, this volume examines how “London” (primarily British diplomats in Spain and officials at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office) perceived the radical Basque nationalist group ETA's campaign of violence from 1968 to 1993.

In the summer of 1968, reports of the killing of a Spanish Guardia Civil officer by the then little-known ETA appeared in British diplomatic despatches. Over the next five decades, ETA would claim more than 850 lives. All the while, UK diplomats and officials gathered information and analysed ETA within the constantly changing, tumultuous socio-political context of Spain’s transition from dictatorship to democracy. This book offers a rare external perspective on what London often referred to as the “Basque problem”, while also shedding light on the relationship between ETA and the IRA, and the joint efforts by Madrid and London to confront their shared threat.

ETA and the “Basque Problem” will appeal to students and scholars of Basque nationalism, contemporary Spanish history, and terrorism studies.

Zielgruppe

Academic

Autoren/Hrsg.

Cullen, Niall

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Mentalitäts- und Sozialgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Weltgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Europäische Geschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Geschichte der Revolutionen

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Introduction: ‘The one which makes the most noise, and is most in the news, is ETA’ 2. Late Francoism (1968–75): ‘There has been nothing like this in Spain since the Civil War’ 3. Transition (1976–82): ‘There are obviously no quick answers to the Basque problem’ 4. PSOE Administration (c.1983–93): ‘Terrorism is the one issue that could still pose a threat to democracy’ 5. Conclusion: ‘It is increasingly hard to see what the fight is about’

Über Autor(innen)

Niall Cullen is an Irish historian based in the Basque Country, Spain. He holds a PhD in Contemporary History from the University of the Basque Country and is the author of Radical Basque Nationalist–Irish Republican Relations: A History (2024).