Basque Socialist Party

Basque Socialist Party Euskal Sozialista Biltzarrea - Partido Socialista Vasco
Leader	Iñaki Aldekoa Txillardegi[1]
Founded	1975
Dissolved	1980
Merger of	Basque Socialist Movement Aintzina collective
Merged into	Herri Batasuna
Newspaper	Aintzina
Ideology	1975-1977: Basque nationalism Social democracy 1977-1980: Marxism Abertzale Left Basque independence[2]
Political position	Left
National affiliation	Herri Batasuna (1978-1980)
Politics of Basque Country

Basque Socialist Party or Basque Socialist Assembly (Spanish: Partido Socialista Vasco and Basque: Euskal Sozialista Biltzarrea; ESB-PSV) was a socialist Basque political party, with presence in the Spanish Basque Country. The party was illegal until 1978.

History

ESB-PSV was formed as the merge of the Basque Socialist Movement and the Aitzina group in 1975. Originally the party was social democratic and ambiguous about independence, but in 1977 ESB-PSV radicalized its positions, assuming both Basque independence and Marxism. The party participated in the Summit of Chiberta and in the Roundtable of Alsasua, being one of the founding parties of the Herri Batasuna coalition.

After a series of internal debates, ESB left Herri Batasuna in 1980, calling for abstention in the Basque elections of that year. ESB disappeared in 1980, due to its electoral failures and debts.

References

1. Ribera, Anje (15 January 2012). «Fallece el lingüista y político abertzale Txillardegi, fundador de ETA y HB». El Correo.
2. Carlos Caballero Basáñez (2006). «Euskal Sozialista Biltzarrea-Partido Socialista Vasco. Antecedentes.». Enciclopedia Vasca Auñamendi