To most people outside Spain, the violent suppression of an independence referendum in the region of Catalonia by the central government seems inexplicable – if not incomprehensible. To understand what is going on, one needs the perspective of history, and an understanding of the power structures in modern Europe. Barcelona, the capital of the region of Catalonia. For centuries, Catalonia, whose capital city is Barcelona, has had a sense of national identity separate from Spain, w…
