This scholarly work provides the first detailed analysis in English of the history of Basque nationalism in France from the Ancient Regime to the present day. The Basques are descended from of the original indigenous tribes of Europe, and their homeland was defined prior to the creation of the modern state system and its borders. This book examines the relationship between the Basques and the growing encroachment of the French state. Using interviews, personal letters, diaries, and unpublished archives, Jacob charts the evolution of Basque political resistance—localism, provincialism, clericalism, regionalism, and ethnic nationalism—and shows how the Basques have challenged the dominant ideology at each juncture of French history. In the years following World War II, this resistance gave rise to the expression of Basque nationalism and, later, terrorism.
