Basic Principles of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya
Cataloguing Data
Period / Epoch
17-19 March 1931
Original title
Principis Bàsics d’Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya
Category
Ideological statement
Description
The transformations that Catalonia underwent in the nineteenth century favoured the genesis of progressive and federalist movements with profound democratic and republican roots. In parallel, the cultural and literary renaissance gave rise to a national awakening process contemporary to developments in Germany, Italy and Greece. The confluence of these two realities led to the formation of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya as a meeting place of organisations, which realised that there was a need to create a common front in the face of a reactionary Spanish State that was rigid with eighteenth century structures.
Original language
Catalan
Date
March 1931
Author(s)
Salvador Albert, Joan Lluhí i Vallescà, Joan Lluís Pujol, Humbert Torres, Joan Casanellas, Joan Cosanovas, Edmond Iglésias, Pere Comes, Josep Armengol De Llano, Amadeu Aragay, Lluís Companys, Ernest Ventós, Miquel Santaló, Jaume Cruanyes, Antoni Moles, Joan Ventosa.
The Basic Principles set out the ideological bases of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, which are summarised in the party’s name:
Esquerra (left): socialisation of wealth;
Republicana (republican): defence of civil and political rights;
de Catalunya: recognition of the national character of Catalonia.
On this basis, the document is centred on the following themes:
a) Social question: basic premises for improving the working conditions of the working class (establishment of a collective ownership regime, reduced working hours, establishment of a minimum wage…).
b) Religious problem: section that advocates freedom of thought and conscience, from which the defence of a secular state is derived.
c) Agricultural problem: establishment of measures aimed at facilitating access to land by farmers (new forms of leases, establishment of cooperatives, etc.).
d) Education: establishment of education as a human right, which must be guaranteed by the State.
e) Economy, finance and cooperativism: defence of the socialisation of wealth through the nationalisation and municipalisation of certain production sectors, which will be defined by a cooperative system.
f) Justice: defence of the need to create an independent judiciary.