Catalan State (1934)

The Catalan State ( Estat Català in Catalan) was a short-lived state proclaimed on October 6, 1934, by Lluís Companys, then president of the Generalitat de Catalunya, amidst a backdrop of rising social tensions and political polarization in Spain during the Second Spanish Republic.

Companys declared the Catalan State "within the Spanish Federal Republic" from the balcony of the Palau de la Generalitat in Barcelona. This declaration was a response to the perceived rightward shift of the national government in Madrid, particularly the entry of the CEDA (Spanish Confederation of Autonomous Right-wing Groups) into the government, which was seen as a threat to the autonomy of Catalonia and its progressive social reforms.

The proclamation was largely symbolic and met with immediate opposition from the Spanish government, which declared martial law and sent troops to suppress the rebellion. The Catalan government forces, largely consisting of the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police force), offered limited resistance. Within hours, the rebellion was crushed, and Companys along with his government were arrested.

The consequences of the Catalan State proclamation were significant. The Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia was suspended, the Generalitat was dissolved, and Catalan institutions were taken over by the central government. Prominent Catalan politicians and activists were imprisoned. This event further exacerbated the existing tensions between Catalonia and Spain and contributed to the growing instability that would eventually lead to the Spanish Civil War. The Catalan State lasted for approximately ten hours.