La negociación imposible (Cánovas y el fuerismo vasco en 1876)

Abstract

After restoration of Bourbons in 1875 and the ending of the Carlist War, Cánovas del Castillo believed that the time had come to address the special relationship of the Basque provinces with the State. Because of the situation these provinces had been enjoying, they were free from paying tax and from military service, protecting this particular condition through the «fueros». Cánovas promoted the law of July 1876 with the object of changing that state of affairs. This law caused a strong reaction in the Basque Country, which experienced tense moments as the result of the rejection that it met in some sectors of Basque society, led by the foral institutions. In any case, there was no unanimous position in the Basque Country in regard to Cánovas' initiaves, being delimited, broadly speaking, to two factions: one supporting negotiation with the government and other resisting this avenue. The object of this article is to explore the critical phase 1876-1877', and to analyse some facts that have marked later history in the Basque Country.