Imperial Japan During
Japan's imperial period, and particularly during the
Pacific War (parts of which are considered the Pacific theatre of
World War II), the Imperial Japanese government established a number of dependent states.
Nominally sovereign states (red) within
Imperial Japan's sphere of influence receiving German diplomats as head of state of the
Reorganised Nationalist Government of the Republic of China in 1941 •
Azad Hind (1943–1945), officially known as Provisional Government of Free India – established by Indian nationalists in
Singapore in October 1943 by
Subhas Chandra Bose and was in charge of Indian expatriates and military personnel in Japanese Southeast Asia. It had nominal sovereignty over Axis controlled Indian territories and would enjoy the prospective control of Indian territory to be captured in a
future invasion of British India. Of the territory of post-independence India, the government took charge of
Kohima (after it fell to the Japanese-INA offensive), parts of
Manipur that fell to both the
Japanese 15th Army and the INA, and the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The government had diplomatic relationships with eleven countries including Germany, Italy, Japan, Philippines, and the Soviet Union. It was headed by Subhas Chandra Bose, who was the Head of the State and Prime Minister, who was also the Supreme Commander of the
Indian National Army. The government had its own cabinet and banks. •
State of Burma (1942–1945) – Head of State:
Ba Maw •
Second Philippine Republic (1943–1945) – Headed by
Jose P. Laurel as
President •
Empire of Vietnam (1945) – Emperor
Bảo Đại's regime with
Trần Trọng Kim as Prime Minister after proclaiming independence from France •
Kingdom of Kampuchea (1945) – King
Norodom Sihanouk's regime with
Son Ngoc Thanh as Prime Minister after proclaiming independence from France •
Kingdom of Luang Prabang (1945) – King
Sisavang Vong's regime with Prince
Phetsarath as Prime Minister after proclaiming independence from France
In China •
Manchukuo (1932–1945) – Set up in
Manchuria under the leadership of the last
Chinese Emperor,
Puyi •
North Shanxi Autonomous Government (1937–1939) – Formed in northern Shanxi with its capital at
Datong on October 15, 1937. The state was then merged into Mengjiang along with the South Chahar Autonomous Government and the
Mongol United Autonomous Government. •
South Chahar Autonomous Government (1937–1939) – Formed in South Chahar with its capital at Kalgan (modern day
Zhangjiakou) on September 4, 1937. The state was merged with the North Shanxi Autonomous Government as well as the Mongol United Autonomous Government to create Mengjiang. • Mongol Military Government (1936–1937) and Mongol United Autonomous Government (1937–1939) – Established in Inner Mongolia as puppet states with local collaborators. This state formed the large basis of what was to become Mengjiang. •
Mengjiang (1936–1945) – Set up in
Inner Mongolia on May 12, 1936, as the Mongol Military Government was renamed in October 1937 as the Mongol United Autonomous Government. On September 1, 1939, the predominantly
Han Chinese governments of the South Chahar and North Shanxi Autonomous Governments were merged with the Mongol Autonomous Government, creating the new Mengjiang United Autonomous Government. All of these were headed by
De Wang. •
East Hebei Autonomous Council (1935–1938) – A state in
northeast China •
Great Way (Dadao) Government (1937–1938) – A short-lived regime based in
Shanghai. This provisional government was established as a preliminary collaboration state as the Japanese took control of all of Shanghai and advanced towards
Nanjing. This was then merged with the Reformed Government of China as well as the Provisional Government of China into the Reorganised Nationalist Government of the Republic of China under the leadership of
Wang Jingwei. •
Reformed Government of the Republic of China (1938–1940) – First regime established in Nanjing after the
Battle of Nanjing. Later fused into the Provisional Government of China •
Provisional Government of China (1937–1940) – Incorporated into the Nanjing Nationalist Government on March 30, 1940 •
Reorganised Nationalist Government of the Republic of China (1940–1945) – Established in Nanjing under the leadership of Wang Jingwei
Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy at the height of the Axis conquests in 1942 Several European governments under the domination of
Germany and
Italy during World War II have been described as "puppet régimes". The formal means of control in
occupied Europe varied greatly. These states fall into several categories.
Existing states in alliance with Germany and Italy • Hungarian
Government of National Unity (1944–1945) – The pro-Nazi regime of Prime Minister
Ferenc Szálasi supported by the pro-German, antisemitic fascist
Arrow Cross Party was a German puppet regime. Szálasi was installed by the Germans after
Adolf Hitler launched
Operation Panzerfaust and had the Hungarian Regent, Admiral
Miklós Horthy, removed and placed under house arrest. Horthy was forced to abdicate in favor of Szálasi. Szálasi fought on even after
Budapest fell and Hungary was completely overrun.
Existing states under German or Italian rule •
Albania under Nazi Germany (1943–1944) – The Kingdom of Albania was an Italian
protectorate and puppet regime. Italy invaded Albania in 1939 and ended the rule of
King Zog I. King
Victor Emmanuel III of Italy added King of Albania to his titles and Zog was exiled. King Victor Emmanuel and
Shefqet Bej Verlaci, Albanian Prime Minister and Head of State, controlled the Italian protectorate. Verlaci was replaced by
Mustafa Merlika Kruja on December 3, 1941. The Germans occupied Albania when Italy exited the war in 1943 and
Ibrahim Bej Biçaku,
Mehdi Bej Frashëri, and
Rexhep Bej Mitrovica became successive Prime Minister under the Nazis. •
Vichy France (1940–1942/4) – The Vichy French regime of
Philippe Pétain had limited autonomy from 1940 to 1942, and depended heavily on Germany. The Vichy government controlled many of France's colonies and the
unoccupied part of France and enjoyed international recognition. In 1942, the Germans occupied the portion of France administered by the Vichy government in
Case Anton and installed a new leadership under
Pierre Laval, ending much of Vichy France's international legitimacy. •
Monaco (
1942–1944) – In 1943, the
Italian Army invaded and occupied Monaco, setting up a fascist administration. Shortly thereafter, following
Benito Mussolini's deposal in Italy, the
German Army occupied Monaco and began deporting the Jewish population. Among them was
René Blum, founder of Monaco's ''Ballet de l'Opera'', who died in a Nazi extermination camp.
New states formed to reflect national aspirations •
Slovak Republic under the
Slovak People's Party (1939–1945) – The Slovak Republic was a German
client state. The Slovak People's Party was a
clerofascist nationalist movement associated with the
Roman Catholic Church.
Monsignor Jozef Tiso became president in a nominally independent Slovakia. •
Independent State of Croatia (1941–1945) – The Independent State of Croatia (
Nezavisna Država Hrvatska or NDH) was a German and Italian puppet regime. On paper, the NDH was a kingdom under King
Tomislav II (Aimone, Duke of Spoleto) of the
House of Savoy, but Tomislav II was only a figurehead in Croatia who never exercised any real power, with
Ante Pavelić a somewhat independent leader (
Poglavnik), though staying obedient to Rome and Berlin.
States and governments under the control of Germany and Italy •
Hellenic State (1941–1944) – The Hellenic State administration of
Georgios Tsolakoglou,
Konstantinos Logothetopoulos, and
Ioannis Rallis was a "collaborationist" puppet government during the
Axis occupation of Greece. Germany, Italy, and
Bulgaria occupied different portions of Greece at different times during these regimes. •
Government of National Salvation (1941–1944) – The government of General
Milan Nedić and sometimes known as Nedić's Serbia was a German puppet regime operating in the
Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia during the
Axis occupation of Serbia. •
Lokot Republic (1941–1943) – The Lokot Republic under
Konstantin Voskoboinik and
Bronislav Kaminski was a semi-autonomous region in Nazi-occupied Russia under a collaborationist administration. The republic covered the area of several
raions of
Oryol and
Kursk Oblasts. It was directly associated with the Russian Liberation People's Army (
Russkaya Osvoboditelnaya Narodnaya Armiya or RONA), known as the
Kaminski Brigade. •
Norwegian National government (1942–1945) – The
occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with all authority held by German Reich Commissioner (
Reichskommissar)
Josef Terboven, who exercised this through the
Reichskommissariat Norwegen. The Norwegian pro-German fascist
Vidkun Quisling attempted a coup d'état against the Norwegian government during the
German invasion on 9 April 1940, but was not appointed by the Germans to head another native government until 1 February 1942.
Italian Social Republic •
Italian Social Republic (1943–1945, known also as the Republic of Salò) – General
Pietro Badoglio and King Victor Emmanuel III withdrew Italy from the
Axis powers and moved the government to
Southern Italy, already controlled by the
Allies. In response, the Germans occupied
Northern Italy and founded the Italian Social Republic (
Repubblica Sociale Italiana or RSI) with Benito Mussolini as its "Head of State" and "Minister of Foreign Affairs". While the RSI government had some trappings of an independent state, it was completely dependent both economically and politically on Germany. ==British examples during and after World War II==