On September 11, 2012, one and a half million people rallied in the streets of Barcelona, Spain, for the independence of Catalonia. It was one of the biggest demonstrations ever in Europe. Yesterday, organisers again expected masses to form a human chain across the territory, demanding independence.Democracy arrived in Spain after 50 years of dictatorship, and since then Catalonia has been demanding independence. Spain might have become more familiar in India after the 2011 movie ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’, but what most viewers did not realise, though, is that not all of Spain is ‘Spanish.’Spain is a relatively young democracy within Europe. In the last 35 years, after 50 years of military dictatorship, it has been struggling to define its structures and political relations, at a national as well as international level. Its Constitution dates back to just 1978. So, while democracy was reestablished, it was weak in heart, as demonstrated through the failed coup in 1981.Today, the crisis Spain is going through is not only financial but also political and territorial. The 1978 Constitution did not solve some of the critical problems, like Catalonia’s and Basque nationalistic aspirations. Red tape was put in place which diluted national identities by inventing a system of 17 ‘autonomous regions’.Catalonia is, and has been, the region in Spain that contributes the highest to the country’s financial needs, but it is also the region that receives less investment from it. The deficit has been valued at more than 17,000 million euros. This underinvestment has brought severe deficiencies in infrastructure.People in Catalonia have been demanding independence from Spain long before 2012. As a matter of fact, every September 11, since the re-establishment of democracy, all shops and schools and offices shut and hundreds of thousands of people rally for independence from Spain. Catalonia was an independent country with its own language and political structures until 1714, when its capital, Barcelona, fell under Felipe V, grandson of Louis XIV, king of France. It was the last chapter of the ten-year long Succession War in Spain, in which all European powers had interests. Until then, Catalonia was part of the Hispanic monarchy, in which Catalonia’s parliament chose the king as long as he swore to rule under the Catalan constitution, privileges and institutions.When the such last king, from the Austrian dynasty, died without a heir, all European powers wanted to have a say. Catalonia was against Spain’s choice, a descendent of the Bourbons of France. Catalonia lost the war, and consequently, the language was persecuted, Catalan political institutions abolished and its parliament banned. It was denied the right to trade with the new continent, America.The 20th century was full of action too. Spain turned into a republic, suffered a bloody civil war, and fell under a long military dictatorship. When democracy came, Catalonia again became the powerhouse of Spain, contributing around 25% of its GDP till recent years.Today, the financial crisis, together with radicalisation in Spain, where conservative groups are heading all of the state’s structures, has triggered a political/democratic reply from Catalonia, which sees, once more, its identity under threat.Last year, not all who took part in the 1.5 million rally had wished for independence from Spain earlier. But the situation had changed. Catalonia will ask its people in a referendum in 2014 whether they want to be part of Spain or not. Will Spain show the democratic maturity to allow this democratic referendum in Catalonia? Will it be necessary that the international community takes part in the negotiations?Let’s see what happens.(The author is PhD in History, Toulouse University (France) and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain))