Joan Baptista Roca i Caball (1898–1976) was a Catalan Carlist and Christian-Democratic politician. He is known as co-founder of Unió Democràtica de Catalunya and recognized as representative of a "Third Spain", the group which emerged during the Spanish Civil War and claimed to have stood in-between the warring factions. He is also counted among leaders of the Catalan opposition to Francoism.
Family and youth
The Roca family has traditionally owned vineyards in the Barcelona province; heavily hit by the phylloxera plague in the mid-19th century, it was driven out of business.see the montorfano service, available here Joan's paternal grandfather, Antonio Roca Calvet (1840-1917),La Vanguardia 01.10.17, available here inherited nothing but clothes and had to build his position in mid-ranks of the Barcelona bourgeoisie,Antoni Roca Calvet entry at MyHeritage service, available here the task facilitated by his marrying into an established Masferrer family.he married Carmen Masferrer Flotats, see Carmen Roca (born Masferrer i Flotats) entry at MyHeritage service, available here His son and Joan's father, Ramon Roca Masferrer (1861-1932),see Ramon Roca i Masferrer entry at MyHeritage service, available here became a prestigious personality within the realm of Barcelona editors, arts and culture. He is best known as co-founder and one of the key people behind Instituto Catalán de las Artes del Libro (also known as Societat de les Arts del Llibre), an organization of Barcelona publishers; he was member of its managing board.La Vanguardia 05.02.03, available here Apart from typical corporative activities Instituto managed a school and published reviews and other prints itself, contributing in particular to development of the Catalan graphical art.see Institut Català de les Arts del Llibre entry at Gran Enciclopedia Catalana online service, available here Roca Masferrer was also engaged in charity, active in Centro Benéfico Social ParthenonLa Vanguardia 14.02.23, available here and Centro Católico Obrero,La Vanguardia 18.03.21, available here the interest passed later on to his offspring. He married María Baus Rocabruna, with whom he had 3 children. Widowed in 1894,see Maria Roca (born Baus i Rocabruna) entry at MyHeritage service, available here in 1895 he married María Caball Fargas (1862-1938);see Maria Roca Masferrer (born Caball Fargas) entry at MyHeritage service, available here, La Vanguardia 29.01.95, available here the couple settled in the university quarter at the intersection of Rosellon and Aribau streets;Miquel Coll i Alentorn, Una obra política coherent i honrada, [in:] Miquel Coll i Alentorn, Escrits polítics, cívics i religiosos, Barcelona 1993, , p. 185, first published in Oriflama 166 (1976) they had two children, Joan and Trinidad.La Vanguardia 08.12.51, available here
The young Joan received his first education in the very prestigious Barcelona Jesuit college known as Colegio de Caspe; he entered the school in 1908 and received his bachillerato in 1914.Joaquim Ventalló i Vergés, Roca y Caball, un hombre de una pieza, [in:] La Vanguardia 27.08.76, available here The same year he entered Faculty of Law at the University of Barcelona, where he joined as unenrolled student.Coll i Alentorn 1993, p. 185 During his studies he worked in an unnamed "oficina comercial" and practiced law as an intern in the office of Salvador Ariza and in the civil section of the municipal court of the Hospital district, where he served as a secretary.Coll i Alentorn 1993, p. 185 Brought up in fervently Catholic ambience, he also engaged in lay Catholic and charity organizations, like congregations of Sant Joan Berchmans and the Immaculada, acting as a catechist in the nearby Centre Montserrat-Xavier.Coll i Alentorn 1993, p. 186 The exact year of his graduation is unclear, though in 1921 he is known as already pursuing a law career on his own.Hilari Raguer i Suñer, La Unió Democràtica de Catalunya i el seu temps (1931-1939), Barcelona 1976, , p. 86; during the dictatorship, dictablanda and the republic Roca worked for Unió de Productors de Filferro i Derivats, later transformed into Central Catalana de Trefileria In 1923 he married Montserrat Junyent Quintana (1905-1985),see Maria Roca i Caball (born Junyent Quintana) entry at MyHeritage service, available here daughter of Miguel Junyent Rovira, the leader of Catalan Carlism and editor-in-chief of the daily El Correo Catalan.Coll i Alentorn 1993, p. 186 The couple had 7 children, 5 daughters, and 2 sons. One of them, Miquel Roca i Junyent, was active in anti-Francoist opposition and made his name nationwide as a moderate Catalanist politician; he is one of the fathers of the 1978 Spanish constitution. Apart from being a scholar, he is also heading a major law firm,see corporate Roca Junyent service, available here considered one of the most influential ones in Spain.Roca Junyent, despacho más influyente de 2014, [in:] Noticias Juridicas 22.05.15, available here Montserrat Roca Junyent was distinguished figure in the realm of Catalan librarians and archivists.see Homenatge a Montserrat Roca Junyent bibliotecària de l'Escola amb motiu de la seva jubilació: 28 d'octubre 1992, [in:] Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya service, available here
Carlist
Joan's father sympathized with possiblist republicanism and moderate Catalanism;mixing with the likes of Pau Font de Rubinat, Albert Bastardas i Sampere and Emili Junoy i Gelabert approaching Unió Catalanista, he was member of the local Centre Catalá Autonomista, which later adhered to Lliga Regionalista.Coll i Alentorn 1993, p. 185 Joan's maternal ancestors were distinguished by loyalty to the ultra-reactionary Carlist cause. It was the influence of his mother and maternal relatives, especially his older cousin Joan Viza Caball, which prevailed when forming the young Joan;Raguer i Suñer 1976, p. 96 as a teenager he engaged in the mainstream Carlist branch, at that time known as Jaimismo. Around 1914 he joined the local Circulo Jaimista at calle de la Puertaferrisa.Ventalló i Vergés 1976 During his academic years he entered the local branch of Agrupación Escolar Tradicionalista, the Carlist student organization.La Vanguardia 27.08.76, available here In the early 1920s he was already one of the most dynamic regional party activists of the young generation, becoming member of Junta Directiva of the local circle, secretary of Junta Regional Tradicionalista of CataloniaColl i Alentorn 1993, p. 186 and president of the Barcelona AET.Ventalló i Vergés 1976
The 1923 coup of Primo de Rivera produced dissolution of all parties and brought national political life to a standstill. With Jaimist structures dormant Roca turned towards non-political Carlist activities and commenced co-operation with the Catalan party daily. As Correo Catalan was managed by his father-in-law, Roca became first secretary of the editorial board and later started to contribute himself. He specialized in commentaries on foreign politics; as his position grew, in the mid-1920s he started to write editorials; he usually signed as "Daniel Castells" and "Snomen".Coll i Alentorn 1993, p. 186, Raguer i Suñer 1976, p. 96 Junyent was known for his moderate sympathy for Catalanismas opposed to other Catalan Carlist politicians of the early 20th century like Dalmacio Iglesias García, who vehemently confronted emerging Catalanism and at that time also Roca's Carlism was assuming an increasingly pro-Catalan tone,already in 1922 he took part in Conferencia Nacional Catalana, Coll i Alentorn 1993, p. 186 though he did not join those who abandoned the movement to join Acció Catalana.like Lluís Vila i d'Abadal His original Traditionalist vision was diluted further on by social-Catholic threads, as he approached Acción Social Popular and its periodicals.first El Social and later Catalunya Social, Coll i Alentorn 1993, p. 186; for detailed discussion on Acción Social Popular see La Accion Social Popular de Barcelona, [in:] Revista española de la opinión pública 15-16 (1969), pp. 68-75 His charity engagements were gradually turning him against the regime; forming the circle of Josep Pedragosa Monclús he focused on prison inmates and became member of the Barcelona Junta del Patronato de las Prisiones.Coll i Alentorn 1993, p. 186-7; he performed the role for some 15 years, until he resigned in November 1936 shortly before leaving for France, see La Vanguardia 18.11.36, available here
In the late 1920s Roca formed part of an informal Jaimist nationwide network known as "La Protesta"; some scholars claim that together with Melchor Ferrer and Pedro Roma he led the Barcelona cell.Jordi Canal, El carlismo, Madrid 2000, , p. 285; other scholars do not list Roca as leader of the group and note the names of Ferrer and Antonio Oliveras, see Robert Vallverdú i Martí, El Carlisme Català Durant La Segona República Espanyola 1931-1936, Barcelona 2008, , p. 19 Formed mostly by the youth, the grouplets engaged in conspiracy against the regime. Its format emphasized mobilization and search for wider social basis rather than anti-primoderiverista activities, though at one point the Barcelona hotheads considered staging a coup in La Seu d'Urgell.in 1928, see José Carlos Clemente Muñoz, El carlismo en el novecientos español (1876–1936), Madrid 1999, , p. 74, Vallverdú i Martí 2008, p. 19. The Madrid cell was led by Francisco Carlos Melgar; other grouplets were active also in Vascongadas, Navarre and Aragon "La Protesta" was somewhat at odds with generally passive policy of the Carlist executivesome authors claim that the Catalan leadership was aware of its activities but preferred not to intervene, Vallverdú i Martí 2008, p. 19 though not necessarily with position of the claimant; since 1926 openly opposing Primo, in his Paris residence Don Jaime remained in touch with the Catalanist and liberal exiles.Canal 2000, p. 285 During Berenguer's dictablanda, Roca decided to actively re-enter official politics; in the last elections of the monarchy in April 1931 he co-ordinated party campaign in the Tarragona provinceVallverdú i Martí 2008, p. 71 and unsuccessfully tried his luck as a Traditionalist candidate to the local Sarrià council.Coll i Alentorn 1993, p. 187, Joan Auladell i Fonseca, El dir i el fer. Una aproximació a la história d'Unió Democrática de Catalunya, s.l. 2006, p. 6. Following failed negotiations with La Lliga, the Carlists decided not to field their own candidates in Barcelona. The Sarriá borough was an exception; Roca has earlier gained some notoriety for defending autonomy of the area within a new Barcelona administrative system, Vallverdú i Martí 2008, p. 71
Between Carlism and Christian Democracy
After the fall of Alfonsine monarchy and declaration of the Second Spanish Republic Roca held high position within Carlist structures; he was member of the Catalan party executive, Junta Regional, serving as its secretary.the Junta was headed by Roca's father-in-law, Junyent, Vallverdú i Martí 2008, p. 70 During gear-up to the Cortes Constituentes electoral campaign of June 1931 he negotiated with the conservative Catalanist La Lliga about building a right-wing alliance list in the region. Together with Francisco Gambús and Juan Soler Janer, Roca was one of 3 Carlists forming a joint Carlist-Lliguist candidature;La Vanguardia 24.06.31, available here, also Vallverdú i Martí 2008, p. 83 he competed in the Tarragona district. The bid bore no fruit and Roca suffered heavy defeat; with the leading contender getting 67.000 votes and the last candidate elected earning 22.000 votes, Roca enjoyed support of only 9.000 voters.La Vanguardia 03.07.31, available here