National secessionist movements advocate that a population has the right to form its own nation-state. Movements that work towards political secession may describe themselves as being
autonomy,
separatist,
independence,
self-determination,
partition,
devolution,
decentralization,
sovereignty,
self-governance or
decolonization movements instead of, or in addition to, being secession movements. Notable examples of secession, and secession attempts, include: • The
United Provinces of the Netherlands breaking away from the
Spanish Empire during the
Eighty Years' War (1566–1648): • The
Thirteen Colonies (the later
United States) revolting from the
British Empire during the
American Revolutionary War (1775–83); •
Hispanic America gaining independence from the
Spanish Empire during
Spanish American wars of independence; •
Texas leaving Mexico, during the
Texas Revolution (1835–36); • the
Confederate States of America seceding from the
Union, setting off the
American Civil War; •
Panama seceding from
Colombia in 1903, during
United States acquisition of the
Panama Canal; • the
Irish Republic leaving the
United Kingdom; •
Finland voting to leave Soviet Russia in 1917, setting off the
Finnish Civil War; •
Biafra leaving Nigeria (and returning, after losing the
Nigerian Civil War); • the former
Soviet republics leaving the
Soviet Union in 1991, causing its
dissolution; • the former
republics leaving
Yugoslavia during the 1990s, causing its
dissolution.
Australia During the 19th century, the single
British colony in eastern mainland Australia,
New South Wales (NSW) was progressively divided up by the British government as new settlements were formed and spread.
Victoria (Vic) was formed in 1851 and
Queensland (Qld) in 1859. However, settlers agitated to divide the colonies throughout the later part of the century; particularly in
central Queensland (centered in
Rockhampton) in the 1860s and 1890s, and in
North Queensland (with
Bowen as a potential colonial capital) in the 1870s. Other secession (or territorial separation) movements arose and these advocated the secession of
New England in northern central
New South Wales,
Deniliquin in the
Riverina district also in NSW, and
Mount Gambier in the eastern part of
South Australia. ;Western Australia Secession movements have surfaced several times in Western Australia (WA), where a
1933 referendum for secession from the
Federation of Australia passed with a two-thirds majority. The referendum had to be ratified by the
British Parliament, which declined to act, on the grounds that it would contravene the
Australian Constitution. The
Principality of Hutt River claimed to have seceded from Australia in 1970, although its status was not recognised by Australia or any other country.
Azerbaijan The Karabakh movement, also known as the Artsakh movement in
Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh between 1988 and 1991 that advocated for the reunification ("
miatsum") of the
Nagorno-Karabakh – formally an autonomous enclave in
Soviet Azerbaijan – with
Soviet Armenia. The movement was motivated by fears of cultural and physical erasure under
government policies from Azerbaijan. Throughout the Soviet period,
Azerbaijani authorities implemented policies aimed at suppressing Armenian culture and diluting the Armenian majority in Nagorno-Karabakh through various means, including border manipulations, encouraging the exodus of Armenians, and settling Azerbaijanis in the region. In the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, Armenians protested against Azerbaijan's cultural and economic marginalization
Austria After being liberated by the
Red Army and the
U.S. Army,
Austria seceded from
Nazi Germany on April 27, 1945. This took place after seven years
under Nazi rule, which began with the
annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in March 1938. The secession only took place once Nazi Germany had been defeated by the Allies.
Bangladesh The Banga Sena (
Bangabhumi) is a separatist
Hindu organisation, which supports the making of a
Bangabhumi/separate homeland for
Bengali Hindus in the
People's Republic of Bangladesh. The group is led by Kalidas Baidya. and the impeachment of then-
President Dilma Rousseff. Additionally, there is an ethnic divide as the South Region is predominately
European, populated primarily by
Germans,
Italians,
Portuguese and other European groups. In contrast, the rest of Brazil is a
multicultural melting pot. The South Region in 2016 voted in an unofficial referendum called "Plebisul" in which 95% of voters supported secession and the creation of an independent South Region. There is also a push for secession movement in the state of
São Paulo, which seeks to become a country independent from the rest of Brazil.
Cameroon In October 2017,
Ambazonia declared its independence from
Cameroon. Less than a month beforehand, tensions had escalated into
open warfare between separatists and the
Cameroon Armed Forces. The conflict, known as the "Anglophone Crisis", is deeply rooted in the October 1, 1961 incomplete decolonization of the former
British Southern Cameroons (UNGA Resolution 1608). On January 1, 1960,
French Cameroon was granted independence from France as the Republic of Cameroon and was admitted into the United Nations. The more advanced democratic and self-ruling people of
British Cameroon were instead limited to two choices. Through a UN
plebiscite, they were directed to either join the federation of
Nigeria or the independent Republic of Cameroon as a federation of two equal states. While the Northern Cameroons voted to join Nigeria, the Southern Cameroons voted to integrate into the Republic of Cameroon, but they did so without a formal Treaty of Union on record at the UN. In 1972, Cameroon used its majority population to abolish the federation and implement a system which resulted in the occupation of the former South Cameroons territory by French-speaking Cameroon administrators. In 1984, Cameroon heightened tensions by returning to its name at independence, "Republic of Cameroun", which did not include the territory of the former British Southern Cameroons or Ambazonia. For more than fifty years the English-speaking people of the Former British Southern Cameroons made multiple attempts both nationally and internationally to get the Cameroon government to address these issues and possibly return to the previously agreed federation at independence. In 2016, after all these attempts failed, Cameroon engaged in a military crackdown, including cutting the internet in the English-speaking regions. In response, the people of Southern Cameroon declared on October 1, 2017, the restoration of their UN state of Southern Cameroons, which they called the "
Federal Republic of Ambazonia".
Canada Throughout Canada's history, there has been tension between
English-speaking and
French-speaking Canadians. Under the
Constitutional Act of 1791, the
Province of Quebec (including parts of what are today
Quebec,
Ontario and
Newfoundland and Labrador) was divided in two:
Lower Canada (which retained
French law and institutions and is now part of the provinces of Quebec and
Newfoundland and Labrador) and
Upper Canada (a new colony intended to accommodate the many new English-speaking settlers, including the
United Empire Loyalists, and now part of
Ontario). The intent was to provide each group with its own colony. In 1841, the two Canadas were merged into the
Province of Canada. The union proved contentious, however, resulting in a legislative deadlock between English and French legislators. The difficulties of the union, among other factors, led in 1867 to the formation of the
Canadian Confederation, a
federal system that united the
Province of Canada,
Nova Scotia and
New Brunswick (later joined by other
British colonies in North America). The federal framework did not eliminate all tensions, however, leading to the
Quebec sovereignty movement in the latter half of the 20th century. Other occasional secessionist movements have included anti-Confederation movements in the 19th century
Atlantic Canada (see
Anti-Confederation Party), the
North-West Rebellion of 1885, and various small separatist movements in Alberta particularly (see
Alberta separatism) and
Western Canada generally (see, for example,
Western Canada Concept).
Central America After the 1823 collapse of the
First Mexican Empire, the former
Captaincy-General of Guatemala was organized into a new
Federal Republic of Central America. In 1838,
Nicaragua seceded. The Federal Republic was formally dissolved in 1840, all but one of the states having seceded amidst general disorder.
China The
People's Republic of China government claims control over
Taiwan and describes the
political status of Taiwan as an issue of secession, despite having never governed the territory. The
Republic of China (Taiwan) government administers control over Taiwan and outlying islands but lacks widespread official international recognition. The
Anti-Secession Law, passed in 2005, formalized the long-standing policy of the People's Republic of China to use military means against
Taiwan independence in the event peaceful means become otherwise impossible. Western regions of
Xinjiang (
East Turkistan) and
Tibet are the focus of secessionist calls by the
Tibetan independence movement and
East Turkestan Independence Movement. The
East Turkistan Government in Exile does not view East Turkistan as a part of China but rather an occupied country, so it does not view independence from China as "secession" but rather "decolonization". The
Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong has a secessionist movement in the city that the
Chinese Communist Party has placed on the national security agenda in 2017 which is called the
Hong Kong independence movement.
Congo In 1960, the
State of Katanga declared independence from the
Democratic Republic of the Congo.
United Nations troops crushed it in
Operation Grand Slam.
Cyprus In 1974, Greek
irredentists launched a ''coup d'état in
Cyprus, in an attempt to annex the island with
Greece. Almost immediately, the
Turkish Army invaded northern Cyprus to protect the interests of the
ethnic Turkish minority, who in the following year formed the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus'' and in 1983 declared independence as the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognized only by
Turkey.
East Timor The
Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (also known as East Timor) has been described as having "seceded" from
Indonesia. After
Portuguese sovereignty was terminated in 1975,
East Timor was occupied by Indonesia. However, the
United Nations and the
International Court of Justice refused to recognize this incorporation. Therefore, the resulting civil war and eventual 1999 East Timorese vote for complete separation are better described as an independence movement.
Ethiopia Following the May 1991 victory of
Eritrean People's Liberation Front forces against the communist
Derg regime during the
Eritrean War of Independence,
Eritrea (formerly known as "
Medri Bahri") gained
de facto independence from Ethiopia. Following the United Nations observation
1993 Eritrean independence referendum, Eritrea gained
de jure independence.
European Union Before the
Treaty of Lisbon entered into force on 1December 2009, no provision in the
treaties or
law of the European Union outlined the ability of a state to voluntarily withdraw from the EU. The European Constitution did propose such a provision and, after the failure to ratify the
Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, that provision was then included in the Lisbon Treaty. The treaty introduced an exit clause for members who wish to withdraw from the Union. This formalised the procedure by stating that a member state may notify the
European Council that it wishes to withdraw, upon which withdrawal negotiations begin; if no other agreement is reached, the treaty ceases to apply to the withdrawing state two years after such notification. On June 23, 2016, the United Kingdom voted to leave the
European Union in a binding referendum voted for by parliament, and finally left the European Union on January 31, 2020. This is informally known as
Brexit.
Finland Finland successfully and peacefully seceded from the newly-formed and unstable
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic in 1917. The latter was led by
Lenin, who had sought refuge in Finland during the
Russian Revolution. Unsuccessful attempts at greater autonomy or peaceful secession had already been made during the preceding
Russian Empire but had been denied by the Russian emperor. However, with the country still at war and under great pressure, Lenin allowed Finland to secede. Its peripheral location made it difficult to defend and less strategically important than Russia's other territories, so he conceded sovereignty to the Finns rather than try to defend it.
France France was one of the
European Great Powers with populous foreign empires. Like the othersthe United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and formerly Germany and the Ottoman Empireits populous states abroad have all seceded, in most cases been granted independence. These secessionist movements generally took place at similar stages by continent. See
decolonization of the Ottoman Empire,
Americas,
Asia and
Africa. As to France's contiguous state, these have few present representatives at the national level, see: •
Alsace independence movement •
Breton independence •
Corsican nationalism •
Occitan nationalism Gran Colombia from 1824 to 1890 (red line).
Panama separated from Colombia in 1903. After a decade of tumultuous federalism,
Ecuador and
Venezuela seceded from
Gran Colombia in 1830, leaving the similarly tumultuous
United States of Colombia (now the
Republic of Colombia), which also lost
Panama in 1903.
India Pakistan seceded from the
British-Indian Empire in what is known as
the Partition. Today, the
Constitution of India does not allow
Indian states to secede from the Union. The
Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir hosts some
paramilitary nationalists who advocate for a Muslim state, in opposition to the Indian establishment. They are mostly in the
Valley of Kashmir since 1989, where the
Indian Army sometimes patrols, having bases along the
nearby international border. They are supported by Pakistan, which has allegedly funded many terrorist, separatist outfits with the goal of destabilizing India, according to the
Indian Research and Analysis Wing, though the country denies any direct involvement. The
Kashmir insurgency reached at its peak influence in the 1990s. Other secessionist movements in
Nagaland,
Assam,
Manipur,
Punjab (known as the
Khalistan movement),
Mizoram and
Tripura,
Tamil Nadu . The violent
Naxalite–Maoist insurgency operates in
eastern rural India is rarely considered secessionist as its goal is to overthrow the
government of India. The
Communist Party of India (Maoist)'s commanders idealise a
Communist republic to be made up swathes of India.
Iran Active secession movements include:
Iranian Azeri,
Assyrian independence movement, Bakhtiary
lurs movement in 1876,
Iranian Kurdistan;
Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI),
Khūzestān Province Balochistan and independence movement for free separated Balochistan, (
Arab nationalist); Al-Ahwaz Arab People's Democratic Popular Front, Democratic Solidarity Party of Al-Ahwaz (See
Politics of Khūzestān Province: Arab politics and separatism), and Balochistan People's Party (BPP) supporting
Baloch Separatism.
Italy The
Movement for the Independence of Sicily (Movimento Indipendentista Siciliano, MIS) has its roots in the
Sicilian Independence Movement of the late 1940s; it was active for around 60 years. Today, the MIS no longer exists, though many other parties have emerged. One is
Nation Sicily (Sicilia Nazione), which still believes in the idea that Sicily, due to its deeply personal and ancient history, should be a sovereign country. Moreover, a common ideology shared by all the
Sicilian independentist movements is to fight against
Cosa Nostra and all the other
Mafia organizations, which have a very deep influence over Sicily's public and private institutions. The Sicilian branch of the
Five Star Movement, which polls show is Sicily's most popular party, has also publicly expressed the intention to start working for a possible secession from Italy if the
central government would not collaborate in shifting the nation's administrative organization from a unitary country to a
federal state. In Southern Italy, several movements have expressed a will to secede from Italy. This newborn ideology is called
neo-Bourbonism, because the
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was under the control of the House of Bourbon. The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was created in 1816 after the
Congress of Vienna, and it comprised both Sicily and continental Southern Italy. The Kingdom came to an end in 1861, being annexed to the newborn Kingdom of Italy. However, the patriotic feelings shared among the southern Italian population is more ancient, starting in 1130 with the Kingdom of Sicily, which was composed by both the island and south Italy. According to the neo-Bourbonic movements the Italian regions which should secede are
Sicily,
Calabria,
Basilicata,
Apulia,
Molise,
Campania,
Abruzzo, and
Latio's provinces of
Rieti,
Latina and
Frosinone. The major movements and parties which believe in this ideology are
Unione Mediterranea,
Mo! and
Briganti.
Lega Nord has been seeking the independence of the region known to separatists as
Padania, which includes lands along the
Po Valley in
northern Italy. Some organizations separately work for the
independence of Venetia or Veneto and the
secession or reunification of
South Tyrol with Austria. Lega Nord governing
Lombardy has expressed a will to turn the region into a sovereign country. Also, the island of
Sardinia is home to a notable
nationalist movement.
Japan The ethnic
Ryukyuan (a branch of modern Okinawan) people had their own state historically (
Ryukyu Kingdom). Although some Okinawan people have sought independence from Japan since they were annexed by Japan in 1879, and especially after 1972 when the islands were transferred from U.S. rule to Japan, their activism and movement have been consistently supported by single digit of Okinawan people.
Malaysia When racial and
partisan strife erupted,
Singapore was expelled from the Malaysian federation in 1965.
Mexico after independence, noting losses to the US (red, white and orange) and the secession of
Central America (purple) •
Texas seceded from Mexico in 1836 (see
Texas Revolution), after animosity between the Mexican government and the American settlers of the
Coahuila y Tejas State. It was later annexed by the United States in 1845. • The
Republic of the Rio Grande seceded from Mexico on January 17, 1840. It rejoined Mexico on November6 of the same year. • After the
federal system was abandoned by
President Santa Anna, the
Congress of Yucatán approved in 1840 a declaration of independence, establishing the
Republic of Yucatán. The Republic rejoined Mexico in 1843.
Netherlands The
United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to historiographically as the
Dutch Republic, was a
federal republic formally established from the formal creation of a federal state in 1581 by several
Dutch provinces seceded from
Spain.
New Zealand Secession movements have surfaced several times in the
South Island of New Zealand. A
Premier of New Zealand, Sir
Julius Vogel, was amongst the first people to make this call, which was voted on by the
Parliament of New Zealand as early as 1865. The desire for South Island independence was one of the main factors in moving the capital of New Zealand from
Auckland to
Wellington in the same year. The
NZ South Island Party, with a pro-South agenda, fielded only five candidates (4.20% of electoral seats) candidates in the
1999 General Election but achieved only 0.14% (2622 votes) of the general vote. The reality today is that although South Islanders have a strong identity rooted in their geographic region, secession does not carry any real constituency; the party was not able to field any candidates in the 2008 election, as they had less than 500 paying members, a requirement by the New Zealand Electoral commission. The party is treated more as a "joke" party than any real political force.
Nigeria of the late 1960s. Pictures of the famine caused by Nigerian blockade garnered sympathy for the Biafrans worldwide. Between 1967 and 1970, the
Eastern Region seceded from Nigeria and established the
Republic of Biafra, which led to a
war that ended with the state returning to Nigeria. In 1999, at the beginning of a
new democratic regime, other secessionist movements emerged, including the
Indigenous People of Biafra led by
Nnamdi Kanu formed as a Political wing of the
Republic of Biafra.
Norway and Sweden Sweden, having left the
Kalmar Union with
Denmark–Norway in the 16th century, entered into a loose
personal union with
Norway in 1814. Following a
constitutional crisis, on June 7, 1905, the
Norwegian Storting declared that King
OscarII had failed to fulfil his constitutional duties. He was therefore removed as
King of Norway. Because the union depended on the two countries sharing a king, it was dissolved. After negotiations, Sweden agreed to mutual independence on October 26 and on April 14.
Pakistan After the
Awami League won the
1970 national elections, negotiations to form a new government floundered, resulting in the
Bangladesh Liberation War by which
East Pakistan seceded, becoming
Bangladesh. The
Balochistan Liberation Army (also Baloch Liberation Army or Boluchistan Liberation Army) (BLA) is a
Baloch nationalist militant secessionist organization. The stated goals of the organization include the establishment of an independent state of
Balochistan free of Pakistani,
Iranian and Afghan Federations. The name Baloch Liberation Army first became public in the summer of 2000, after the organization claimed credit for a series of bomb attacks in markets and removal of railways lines.
Papua New Guinea The island of
Bougainville has made several efforts to secede from
Papua New Guinea.
Somalia Somaliland is an autonomous region, which is part of the
Federal Republic of Somalia. Those who call the area the
Republic of Somaliland consider it to be the successor state of the former
British Somaliland protectorate. Having established its own local government in Somalia in 1991, the region's self-declared independence is
only recognized by Israel.
South Africa In 1910, following the
Boer Republics defeat by the
British Empire in the
Boer Wars, four self-governing colonies in the south of Africa were merged into the
Union of South Africa. The four regions were the
Cape Colony,
Orange Free State,
Natal and
Transvaal. Three other territories,
High Commission Territories of
Bechuanaland (now
Botswana),
Basutoland (now
Lesotho) and
Swaziland (now Eswatini) later became independent states in the 1960s. Following the election of the
Nationalist government in 1948, some
English-speaking whites in Natal advocated either secession or a loose federation. There were also calls for secession, with Natal and the eastern part of the
Cape Province breaking away following the
referendum in 1960 on establishing a
republic. In 1993, prior to South Africa's first elections under universal suffrage and the end of apartheid, some
Zulu leaders in
KwaZulu-Natal again considered secession as did some politicians in the Cape Province. In 2008, a political movement calling for the return to independence of the Cape resurged in the shape of the political organisation, the
Cape Party. The Cape Party contested their first elections on 22 April 2009. They finished the Western Cape provincial elections in 2019 with 9,331 votes, or 0.45% of votes, gaining no seats The idea gained popularity in the early half of the 2020s, with polling suggesting that 58% of Western Cape Voters want a referendum on independence in July 2021.
South Sudan A
referendum took place in Southern Sudan from 9to 15 January 2011, on whether the region should remain a part of Sudan or become independent. The referendum was one of the consequences of the
2005 Naivasha Agreement between the
Khartoum central government and the
Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M). On 7 February 2011, the referendum commission published the final results, with 98.83% voting in favour of independence. While the ballots were suspended in 10 of the 79 counties for exceeding 100% of the voter turnout, the number of votes was still well over the requirement of 60% turnout, and the majority vote for secession is not in question. A simultaneous referendum was supposed to be held in Abyei on whether to join Southern Sudan but it has been postponed because of conflict over demarcation and residency rights. In October 2013, a symbolic referendum was held in which 99.9% of voters in Abyei voted to join Southern Sudan. However, this resolution was non-binding. As of February 2024, an official referendum still has not taken place. Abyei currently holds "special administrative status". The predetermined date for the creation of an independent state was 9July 2011.
Soviet Union in Eurasia in the decades following the end of the Cold War On November 15, 1917, the day in which
Declaration of the Rights of the Peoples of Russia was declared by the
Bolsheviks,
Finland seceded after the non-Socialist Senate proposed that Parliament declare Finland's independence, which was
voted by the Parliament on 6 December 1917. On December 18, 1917, it was recognized by
Council of People's. It was followed by the
Finnish Civil War. The
Constitution of the Soviet Union guaranteed all
SSRs the right to secede from the Union. In 1990, after free elections, the
Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic declared independence and other
republics, including certain
break-away polities, soon followed. Despite the Soviet central government's refusal to recognize the independence of the republics, the
Soviet Union dissolved in 1991.
Spain Present-day Spain (known officially as "the
Kingdom of Spain") was assembled as a
central state in the French model between the
18th and
19th centuries from various component kingdoms with varying languages, cultures and legislations. Spain has several
secessionist movements, the most notable ones being in
Catalonia, the
Basque Country and
Galicia.
Sri Lanka The
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, operated a de facto independent state for
Tamils called
Tamil Eelam in eastern and northern
Sri Lanka until 2009.
Switzerland In 1847, seven disaffected
Catholic cantons formed a separate alliance because of moves to change the
cantons of Switzerland from a
confederation to a more
centralized government federation. This effort was crushed in the
Sonderbund War and a new
Swiss Federal Constitution was created.
Ukraine organized by pro-Russian separatists. A line to enter a polling place, 11 May 2014. In 2014 after the start of
Russian intervention in Ukraine, several groups of people declared the independence of several Ukrainian regions: • The
Donetsk People's Republic was declared to be independent from Ukraine on 7April 2014, comprising the territory of the
Donetsk Oblast. There have been
military confrontations between the
Ukrainian Army and the forces of the Donetsk People's Republic when the Ukrainian Government attempted to reassert control over the oblast. • The Lugansk Parliamentary Republic was proclaimed on 27 April 2014. before being succeeded by the
Lugansk People's Republic. The Lugansk forces have successfully occupied vital buildings in
Lugansk since 8April, and controlled the City Council, prosecutor's office, and police station since 27 April. The Government of the
Luhansk Oblast announced its support for a referendum, and granted the governorship to independence leader
Valeriy Bolotov.
United Kingdom The Irish republicans attempted to withdraw
Ireland from the
United Kingdom during the
Easter Rebellion of 1916. Ireland gained independence as the
Irish Free State in 1922, except for six
Ulster counties which chose to remain in the United Kingdom as
Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom has a number of secession movements: • In
Northern Ireland,
Irish republicans and
nationalists have long called for the secession of Northern Ireland to join the
Republic of Ireland. This is opposed by
Unionists. A minority have supported the
independence of Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom without joining the Republic of Ireland. • In
Scotland, the
Scottish National Party (SNP) campaigns for
Scottish independence and direct Scottish membership in the
European Union. It has representation at all levels of
Scottish politics and forms the devolved
Scottish government. Later pro-independence parties have had lesser electoral success. The
Scottish Greens and the
Scottish Socialist Party are most widely publicised. However, all independence movements/parties are opposed by
unionists. A
referendum on independence in which voters were asked "Should Scotland be an independent country?" took place in September 2014. It saw "no" win, as 55.3% of voters voted against independence. • In
Wales,
Plaid Cymru (Party of Wales) stands for
Welsh independence within the European Union. It is also represented at all levels of
Welsh politics and has often been the second largest party in the
Senedd (Welsh Parliament). • England: • In
Cornwall, supporters of
Mebyon Kernow call for the creation of a
Cornish Assembly and separation from England, giving the county significant
self-government, whilst remaining within the United Kingdom as a fifth
home nation. •
London has supporters of an independent or semi-autonomous city-state since the 2016
EU Referendum in which Londoners voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU. A
London independence party, known as Londependence, was established in June 2019. Their calls increased after the
2019 General Election in which most Londoners voted for the
Labour Party, gaining a representative, bucking the national trend. • The
Northern Independence Party is a party formed in 2020 that seeks to make
Northern England an independent state under the name
Northumbria.
United States Discussions and threats of secession often surfaced in
American politics during the first half of the 19th century, and secession was declared by the
Confederate States of America in the
South during the
American Civil War. However, in 1869, the
United States Supreme Court ruled in
Texas v. White that unilateral secession was not permitted, saying that the union between a state (
Texas in the case before the bar) and the other states "was as complete, as perpetual, and as indissoluble as the union between the original States. There was no place for reconsideration or revocation, except through revolution or through consent of the States."
Yugoslavia tank in Karlovac,
Croatian War of Independence, 1992 On June 25, 1991,
Croatia and
Slovenia seceded from the
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Bosnia and Herzegovina and
North Macedonia also declared independence, after which the federation broke up, causing the separation of the remaining two countries
Serbia and
Montenegro. Several
wars ensued between the
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and seceding entities and among other ethnic groups in
Slovenia,
Croatia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, and later,
Kosovo. Montenegro peacefully separated from its union with Serbia in 2006.
Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008, and was recognized by around 100 countries, with the rest considering it remaining under
United Nations administration. ==See also==