World War II Many countries established a government in exile after loss of
sovereignty in connection with
World War II.
Governments in London A large number of European governments-in-exile were set up in
London. Other exiled leaders in Britain in this time included
King Zog of Albania and
Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia. Occupied
Denmark did not establish a government in exile, although there was an Association of Free Danes established in
London. The government remained in Denmark and functioned with relative independence until August 1943 when it was dissolved, placing Denmark under full German occupation. Meanwhile,
Iceland,
Greenland and the
Faroe Islands were occupied by
the Allies and effectively separated from the Danish crown. (See
British occupation of the Faroe Islands,
Iceland during World War II, and
History of Greenland during World War II.)
Governments-in-exile in Asia The
Philippine Commonwealth (invaded 9 December 1941) established a
government in exile, initially located in Australia and later in the United States. Earlier, in 1897, the
Hong Kong Junta was established as a government in exile by the Philippine revolutionary
Republic of Biak-na-Bato. While formed long before World War II, the
Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea continued in exile in China until the end of the war. At the
fall of Java, and the surrender by the Dutch on behalf of Allied forces on 8 March 1942, many Dutch-Indies officials (including
Dr van Mook and
Dr Charles van der Plas) managed to flee to
Australia in March 1942, and on 23 December 1943, the Royal Government (Dutch) decreed an official
Netherlands East Indies government-in-exile, with Dr van Mook as Acting Governor General, on Australian soil until Dutch rule was restored in the Indies.
Axis-aligned governments in exile In the later stages of
World War II, with the German Army increasingly pushed back and expelled from various countries, Axis-aligned groups from some countries set up "governments-in-exile" under the auspices of the Axis powers, in the remaining Axis territory - even though internationally recognised governments were in place in their home countries. The main purpose of these was to recruit and organise military units composed of their nationals in the host country.
Persian Gulf War Following the
Ba'athist Iraqi
invasion and
occupation of
Kuwait, during the
Persian Gulf War, on 2 August 1990,
Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and senior members of his government fled to
Saudi Arabia, where they set up a
government-in-exile in
Ta'if. The Kuwaiti government in exile was far more affluent than most other such governments, having full disposal of the very considerable Kuwaiti assets in western banks—of which it made use to conduct a massive
propaganda campaign denouncing the Ba'athist Iraqi occupation and mobilising public opinion in the Western world in favor of war with
Ba'athist Iraq. In March 1991, following the defeat of Ba'athist Iraq at the hands of coalition forces in the
Persian Gulf War, the Sheikh and his government were able to return to Kuwait.
Municipal councils in exile Following the
Turkish Invasion of Cyprus in 1974 and the displacement of many
Greek Cypriots from
North Cyprus, displaced inhabitants of several towns set up what are in effect municipal councils in exile, headed by mayors in exile. The idea is the same as with a national government in exile—to assert a continuation of legitimate rule, even though having no control of the ground, and working towards restoration of such control. Meetings of the exiled
Municipal Council of Lapithos took place in the homes of its members until the Exile Municipality was offered temporary offices at 37 Ammochostou Street, Nicosia. The current Exile Mayor of the town is Athos Eleftheriou. The same premises are shared with the Exile Municipal Council of
Kythrea. Also in the
Famagusta District of Cyprus, the administration of the part retained by the
Republic of Cyprus, based in
Paralimni, considers itself as a "District administration in exile", since the district's capital
Famagusta had been under Turkish control since 1974.
Administrative divisions of Ukraine in exile During the
Russo-Ukrainian War, after the
Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation in March 2014, following a
disputed status referendum, the Ukrainian governments of both the
Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the
City of Sevastopol moved to nearby
Kherson in the
Kherson Oblast, where they were based until the 2022
Russian invasion of Ukraine. After the
Russian occupation of Kherson Oblast, the governments are now operating remotely in
Ukraine. Due to the
Russo-Ukrainian War, the capital of
Luhansk Oblast was
de facto moved from
Luhansk to
Sievierodonetsk in 2014 while the capital of
Donetsk Oblast was
de facto moved from
Donetsk to
Mariupol in June 2014, then to
Kramatorsk in October 2014, where it currently is. As of the
fall of Sievierodonetsk in June 2022, the government of Luhansk Oblast is operating remotely in
Ukraine. == Fictional governments-in-exile ==