Interesting Demise of ETA in Spain (PKK and Shining Path)
Michiyo Tanabe, Noriko Watanabe, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The ruling political elites in Spain refused to make political concessions to the terrorist group ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna). Despite this, ETA eventually announced that it would disarm unilaterally. In 2018, this culminated in a final declaration stating that the organisation had completely dissolved and ended its struggle.
Throughout the world, once-powerful insurgent movements have faced internal difficulties because of military pressure, changing political circumstances, cultural and historical developments, modernity, and the demise of influential individuals. In a recent example, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) voted to disband in 2025 after its imprisoned leader, Abdullah Öcalan, called for an end to four decades of armed insurgency against the Turkish state.
The International Crisis Group stated: “In 2024, Ankara launched a new political process to end its conflict with the PKK. Subsequently, in late February 2025, the PKK’s imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan issued a groundbreaking statement, urging the PKK to lay down its arms and dissolve. The PKK responded by declaring a unilateral ceasefire two days later and then decided at a congress in May to end its armed struggle and disband.”
However, other international insurgent movements, such as Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso – the Communist Party of Peru), have persisted on a much smaller scale despite being significantly weakened by military operations and internal divisions. The movement also relied heavily on its leader, Abimael Guzmán, who died in prison in 2021. Its remaining factions have operated in isolation or through relationships with the Militarized Communist Party of Peru (MPCP), notably in the Apurímac, Ene and Mantaro River Valley regions.
In Spain, ETA gradually lost its internal support as Basque society became increasingly disillusioned with its terrorist tactics. Its political and ideological influence diminished as more people rejected both its objectives and methods. Although many Basques opposed ETA from the outset, the country’s transition to democracy during the 1970s fundamentally changed the political landscape. Generations born in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s increasingly viewed the movement differently from earlier generations. Consequently, democratic consolidation, generational change and modernity all contributed to ETA’s decline.
Founded in 1959, ETA underwent considerable internal changes. Initially, its emphasis was on defending the distinctive cultural identity of the Basque region. However, militancy gradually developed into a violent paramilitary campaign involving killings and kidnappings across the Basque region and Spain. Beginning in 1968, its campaign claimed approximately 820 lives. Although the movement once attracted support among certain sections of Basque society, its increasingly brutal tactics became widely despised.
The BBC reported: “When Eta announced the end of its campaign of violence, in October 2011, disarmament was the next logical development. The fact it has taken the organisation so long to take that step probably reflects the reluctance of many within its ranks to do so when the Spanish and French governments have offered nothing in exchange.”
Historically, ETA had hoped to secure political talks with Spain and France. However, while France appeared more receptive to the possibility, Spain remained firmly opposed to making concessions or opening negotiations on the movement’s terms.
Nevertheless, issues remain following ETA’s final dissolution in 2018. Hundreds of former ETA members remain imprisoned, with authorities continuing to seek information concerning unresolved terrorist attacks, alongside enforcing sentences for their crimes.
Ultimately, ETA’s demise reflected the changing political and social realities of Spain. Democratic consolidation, generational differences, modernity and the rejection of terrorism gradually eroded the movement’s internal foundations. Its disappearance illustrates how even once-powerful insurgent organisations can become increasingly irrelevant when the societies they claim to represent move beyond their objectives and methods.
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