180212 History Talk 12 Feb: A Tale of Two Cities: Madrid and Barcelona

Date: 12th Feb 2018 10:30

Location: Salón de Actos, Espai la Senieta, Moraira (next to the large free car park)

Subject: A Tale of Two Cities: Madrid and Barcelona

Lecturer: Peter Atkinson

Spain has two pre-eminent cities: Madrid, with a focus on monarchy, government and centralism; and Barcelona, with a focus on business, industry, and regionalism or separatism.  This presentation will show how the cities developed, from their Roman (Barcelona) and Moorish (Madrid) origins to the present.  It will also examine the relationship between the two; over the last 300 years it has often been a difficult one with Madrid, as the national capital, beating a drum to which Barcelona must also march.  It will close with a review of the standing of Catalan separatism today.