The Thorns of the Rose. The Hard Historical Path of Socialism in Catalonia (1945-2010)

Abstract

Although the objective of the formation of a unitary socialist party in Catalonia was among the founding aspirations of many of the forces attached to this ideology that emerged in this country since 1908, it was not until seven decades later that this project was it became a reality with the creation of the Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya (1978). During all this time, the obstacles that this ideological space had to face were multiple in Catalonia, both due to external factors and factors associated with the internal dynamics of its various actors. This article studies the tortuous path followed by the various socialist families in Catalonia during these first seventy years of history, focusing on the evolution of this political space –starting with the creation of the Socialist Movement of Catalonia (1945) and ending by briefly analysing the internal and institutional life of the PSC between 1978 and 2010. We will see, then, how the Catalan socialists went from being a minority option but with very influential representatives on the whole of the political life of the anti-Franco world to become, from 1977 onwards, key agents in the making of democratic Spain at the municipal, state and, finally, regional levels.