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25 October 1979: Catalans and Basques choose autonomy
FRANK GAVURIN
On 25 October 1979, the people of Catalonia and the Basque Country approved new Statutes of Autonomy for their respective regions. Historically, both areas had a complex relationship with the Spanish state, but these became explicitly ... antagonistic under the Franco dictatorship. The dictator promoted the idea of a united and centralised Spain, which led to conflict with Basque and Catalan separatists and even those who simply called for a degree of regional autonomy. Under the ... the people of all of Spain, needed to make some concessions to Catalonia and the Basque Country. A new Spanish constitution was overwhelmingly approved in a 1978 referendum, and new statutes of autonomy for what the constitution referred to as