The thesis is focused on the Catalan nationalism as the nationalism of the nation without state and its changes during the economic crisis. The objective is to analyse potential impact of the economic crisis to the Catalan nationalism and its changes after 2008, firstly at the level of public opinion, secondly and mainly at the political level in the frame of the analysis of the Catalan political parties in the Catalan parliament after the elections in 2006, 2010 and 2012. The parties are divided according their demands to the central government using the Dandoy's typology. The intensification of the demands for the independence in the Catalan society and its correlation with the worsening economic indicators, as the unemployment, Catalan debt or the changes of GDP, is analysed by the linear regression analysis in the first part of the study. The connection between nationalist questions and the economic crisis is analysed in the second part of the thesis. Three tools of the election campaign in 2006, 2010 and 2012 are used for this analysis - the electoral programmes, the electoral debates and interviews in television and the electoral spots. The conclusion of the thesis is whether the nationalist demands in the Catalan society and of the Catalan political parties increased and if so, whether it is...

The diploma thesis called 'the concept of referendums in democracy: a comparison of the Scottish and Catalan models', deals with the question of referendum in democracy which is an instrument for countries to become independent. The referendum is correctly known as a constitutional referendum. This thesis also deals with the application of a constitutional referendum in the cases of Scotland and Catalonia. The main purpose of this research is to analyse the conduct of the Scottish and Catalan referendums for independence, both of which were held in the autumn of 2014. The paper looks to identify the similarities and differences between these two examples. Both cases are based on seven variables in the research of referendums: 1) constitutional framework for holding a referendum of independence, 2) identification of the basic political process leading to a referendum, 3) organizational-administrative regulation of a referendum, 4) issues during the referendum campaign, 5) opinion polls for the referendum, 6) results of the referendum and 7) predicted consequences of the referendum. The final purpose of this thesis is to assess how these two models reflect on the current constitutional practice in a democratic society.

The Parliament of Catalonia was restored in 1980 within the transition to democracy in Spain. From the beginning the coalition of Convergència i Unió was dominated in party system. This coalition was consisted by two parties and had absolute parliamentarian majority between years 1984 and 1995. Its dominance was disrupted by Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya in elections in 1999 and also in 2003. Until then, there was a bipolar system where CiU won elections to the Parliament of Catalonia and PSC-PSOE elections to Congreso de Diputados in this autonomous region. CiU won every Catalan parliamentary elections till 2012. After the collapse of CiU in 2015, one of its parties, Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya, started to cooperate with Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya primarily because of Catalonia's independence. The number of relevant parties started to increase in 2015. The aim of the thesis is to answer following questions: what party system according to Sartori's theory occurred/occurs in the Parliament of Catalonia and whether there was a change of party system or not. If yes, then which circumstances affected this change. Furthermore, the results of the elections to the Parliament of Catalonia and to Congreso de Diputados in Catalonia are compared. This comparison seeks to answer the question of...

The master's thesis International impact of Catalonia independence efforts aims to analyze what is the international impact caused by Catalonia's efforts to separate from Spain. It does so by establishing theoretical framework of Conflict theory and internationalized conflicts. Within this framework, the Catalonia's case is examined. The thesis provides wide and extensive background on Catalan independence in order to understand how independence efforts in Catalonia emerged and evolved. The thesis also explains the means which are used by Catalan representatives in order to promote the independence internationally. Brief comparative examples of other regions within Europe are provided (with one notable mention outside of European continent) which seek for independence, as some of the features are common for all of them. Later on, the thesis features analytical part in which international impacts of Catalonia's strive for independence are examined. Those include e.g. effects on the European Union, other separatist regions, and more. Important explanation is offered about possible economic consequences with the usage of quantitative data. The thesis in its final stage applies conflict theory on Catalonia's case. It also uses all the before explained historical background. It concludes with assessment...

Regional political parties and the European Union: Case study of Spain Abstract The diploma thesis "Regional political parties and the European Union: Case study of Spain" focuses on the area of the regional parties on the stage of the European Parliament, a subject which has not been analysed thoroughly in the past. Special emphasis is placed on the analysis of this phenomenon on the case of the Spanish historical regions (Catalonia, Basque Country, Galicia) which are a recognizable proof of the remarkable institutional strengthening in the framework of a regionalized unitary state. The methodology of triangulation was used for the analysis of this issue as the data of the diverse type (i.e. electoral results, party's material etc.) have been put together through different methods (as a qualitative and quantitative content analysis, deductive and comparative approaches) with the aim to reveal the complete character of the issue and to reach the objective results as possible. The study focuses on the analysis of the regional parties on the European level through their cooperation in the European federations of the political parties as well as the framework of the political groups in the European Parliament. The emphasis is also placed on the analysis of the own work of the members of the European Parliament...

Regional nationalism and consequent separatist tendencies have a significant impact on the territorial (dis)integration of many countries across the globe, and Europe is no exception. These processes contributed to changes in the traditional academic understanding of states as uniform, cohesive, and continuous political entities. Nevertheless, research on territorial and societal cohesion and continuity within regional nationalist movements has so far been neglected, even though this aspect seems to be key to the successful mobilization and goal achievement of separatist movements in heterogeneous democratic societies. This thesis aims to examine the limits of uniformity and continuity, that is, a time-space differentiation in political affiliations to secessionist regional nationalism in Catalonia, including the explanation of a time-space nonstationarity in the effects of factors behind the affiliations. Catalonia is an example of region with intense cultural and inclusive-assimilationist nationalism which proliferates within an ethno-culturally heterogeneous and segregated society. In the last decade, the region has shifted from a phase of everyday, "banal" nationalism to an explicit and dynamic nationalist mobilization, which has been brought about by (and further intensified) the deterioration...