In the beginning into the second half of 20th century under the Miguel Primo de Rivera dictatorship (1923-1930), FC Barcelona was considered to be an emblem that reflected Catalan identity. This was in contrast to RCD Espanyol which cultivated a sort of adherence to the central authorities.
In 1918 cities in Catalonia launched an effort to petition the Spanish Government to approve the creation of a Statute of Autonomy. FC Barcelona joined that request and the Catalan press acknowledged FC Barcelona as a major cultural component that was part of the Catalan independence movement. The city's other team RCD Espanyol, dissociated itself from the claim due to FC Barcelona's performance in the European stage.
Today, FC Barcelona is the club which is more in line with the political powers of Catalonia. Its previous presidents have referred to the club as part of those who support the Catalan independence movement as well as the referendum being held which has led to discontent with certain Catalan fans as well as those from the other regions of Spain who feel ignored and believe they are being influenced by the club towards the Catalans. While some of RCD Espanyol's executives have expressed opinions in favor of independence, the team is not involved in politics. The belief is that the majority of the club's supporters are opposed to the independence of Catalonia.
Numerous times RCD Espanyol has complained of an unfavorable and at times specifically offensive treatment of the club , in favor of FC Barcelona by some Catalonian public media, such as TV3.
Despite these differing ideologies however, derbi (derby) has always been more important for Espanyol supporters than supporters of Barcelona (who regard El Clasico in higher regard in contrast) due to the different in goals.
Although it's the most popular locally-based derby ever played in La Liga however, it is also the one with the lowest balance in the league, with Barcelona dominating the field. The league standings are a mess. Espanyol was able to be above Barca three times in nearly 70 years. And the only all-Catalan Copa Del Rey final was taken by Barca in the year 1957. Espanyol can take comfort in winning the most by a large margin by a 6-0 win in 1951.
Espanyol scored a 2-1 victory over FC Barcelona during the 2008-09 season. It was the very first club to beat Barcelona in Camp Nou in their treble-winning season.
Espanyol lost 1-0 to FC Barcelona on 8 July 2020, before being removed from the Segunda Division.