Commonwealth of Catalonia

Commonwealth of Catalonia
Mancomunitat de Catalunya (Catalan)
Mancomunidad de Cataluña (Spanish)
1914–1925
CapitalBarcelona
Common languages
GovernmentFederation of provinces
President 
• 1914–1917
Enric Prat de la Riba (first)
• 1924–1925
Alfons Sala (imposed) (last)
Historical eraBourbon Restoration
• Established
6 April 1914
• Primo de Rivera coup d'état
13 September 1923
• Disestablished
20 March 1925
Preceded by
Succeeded by
Province of Barcelona
Province of Tarragona
Province of Lleida
Province of Girona
Province of Barcelona
Province of Tarragona
Province of Lleida
Province of Girona

The Commonwealth of Catalonia (Catalan: Mancomunitat de Catalunya, IPA: [məŋkumuniˈtad kətəˈluɲə]) was a deliberative assembly made up of the councillors of the four provinces of Catalonia. Promoted in its final stages of gestation by the Regionalist League of Catalonia, it was strongly endorsed by municipal referendum in October 1913.[1]: 8 

The Commonwealth was created in 1914 (symbolically the 200th anniversary of the year of the loss of governing institutions independent of the Spanish central administration) and was disbanded and outlawed in 1925 during Miguel Primo de Rivera's dictatorship.[2]

Although it had only administrative functions and its powers did not go beyond those of the provincial councils, it had great symbolic and practical importance: it represented the first recognition by the Spanish State of the identity and territorial unity of Catalonia since 1714.[3][1]: 19  and was responsible for the creation of many public institutions in health, culture and technical education and science and notably for the support of the Catalan language.[1]: 9 

  1. ^ a b c Balcells, Albert, ed. (2015). La Mancomunitat de Catalunya (1914); centennial symposium (in Catalan). Barcelona: Institut d'Estudis Catalans. ISBN 978-84-9965-252-8. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Towards autonomy: the Commonwealth of Catalonia, 1914–1925". Retrieved 15 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Mancomunitat de Catalunya" [Commonwealth of Catalonia]. Encyclopedia Catalana (in Catalan). Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana. Retrieved 15 October 2012.