Catalan push for independence: How did we get here?

Tensions between Barcelona and Madrid have reached unseen levels ahead of Tuesday's crucial parliamentary session. Which begs the question, how on Earth did we get to the point at which a Catalan president may declare the country no longer part of Spain? It all started 14 years ago, when a new Catalan government had the idea of reforming a text that had been the basis of rule in the country since the post-Franco transition.  

2003

The country sets a new goal for self-government: reforming the Statute of Autonomy. The Catalan parliament passes it with an overwhelming majority in 2005.

2006

The Spanish parliament cuts back on the degree of self-government provided by the text. One senior Socialist MP boasts about it. Yet the public approve it in a referendum. That, however, is not the end of the journey, it is just the beginning. The People’s Party starts gathering signatures against the Statute and, after public approval, sends it to the Constitutional Court.

2010

After four years, the Constitutional Court rules that 14 articles of the Statute are outside the law and reinterprets 23 more. This event sparks outrage and a 1.1 million-strong demonstration some weeks later. The call for independence is the chant most heard. In the meantime, citizens hold unofficial local votes on self-determination in hundreds of Catalan towns.

2012

The first mass pro-independence demonstration on September 11 makes society, and politicians, realize just how many people now want a Catalan state. Five more protests will follow annually in the next few years.