Catalonia declared an independent republic on Friday. But nobody is sure how long it will last. Within hours of Catalonia's emotional vote, Spain's prime minister announced he would dismantle the Catalan government, suspend its ministers, dissolve its upstart parliament, take over the regional police and call home any Catalan diplomats abroad.
The orders were effective immediately. In a Europe where change once took place at a glacial pace, this was the latest surprise in continent rocked by division and upset, populism and nationalism.

Catalonia declared an independent republic on Friday. But nobody is sure how long it will last. Within hours of Catalonia's emotional vote, Spain's prime minister announced he would dismantle the Catalan government, suspend its ministers, dissolve its upstart parliament, take over the regional police and call home any Catalan diplomats abroad.
The orders were effective immediately. In a Europe where change once took place at a glacial pace, this was the latest surprise in continent rocked by division and upset, populism and nationalism.