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This is a list of historical separatist movements in Europe. Separatism includes autonomism and secessionism.
Criteria
What is and is not considered an autonomist or secessionist movement is sometimes contentious. Entries on this list must meet three criteria:
- They are no longer an active movement with active members.
- They are demanded greater autonomy or self-determination for a geographic region (as opposed to personal autonomy).
- They were citizens/people of the conflict area and did not come from another country.
Under each region listed is one or more of the following:
- De facto state (de facto entity): for unrecognized regions with de facto autonomy.
- Proposed state: proposed name for a seceding sovereign state.
- Proposed autonomous area: for movements towards greater autonomy for an area but not outright secession.
- De facto autonomous government: for governments with de facto autonomous control over a region.
- Government-in-exile: for a government based outside of the region in question, with or without control.
- Political party (or parties): for political parties involved in a political system to push for autonomy or secession.
- Militant organization(s): for armed organizations.
- Advocacy group(s): for non-belligerent, non-politically participatory entities.
- Ethnic/ethno-religious/racial/regional/religious group(s).
List
Albania
Belgium
- Political parties
- Flemish
Bulgaria
- Militant organizations: Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee, Internal Revolutionary Organization, Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization
Czech Republic
- Political party: Young Czech Party, Czech National Social Party
Finland
- Political movement: Fennoman
- Political party: Finnish Party, Young Finnish Party
- Åland Islands
- Political movement: Åland movement
France
- Basque Country (also in Spain)
- Political parties: Basque Nationalist Party, Basque Unity
- Rebel organization: Basque homeland and Freedom (ETA)
- Corsica
- Political parties: Corsica Nazione, Partitu di a Nazione Corsa
- Brittany
- Political parties: Union Démocratique Bretonne, Breton Party
- Rebel organization: Breton Revolutionary Army, Liberation Front of Brittany
- Alsace
- Political parties : Alsace d'abord *
Germany
- Short-lived Republic: Rhenish Republic
- Lower Saxony
- Alemannic Separatism
- Bavarian Soviet Republic
- Saarland
- Political parties: Christian People's Party of Saarland, Social Democratic Party of Saarland
- Goals: De facto independence of Saarland under status of a European territory, acceptance of the Saar statute
Greece
(Gained independence from the Ottoman Empire after the Greek War of Independence)
- Society: Filiki Eteria
- Unrecognized state: Areopagus of Eastern Continental Greece, Peloponnesian Senate, Senate of Western Continental Greece, Provisional Administration of Greece (after 1822)
- Militant organizations: Armatoloi/Klephts, Sacred Band, Hellenic Army, Hellenic Navy
- Aromanians (Aromanian nationalism)
Ireland
(See also under UK, for pre-division Ireland)
- Home Rule League
- Irish National League
- Irish Parliamentary Party
- Irish Republican Brotherhood
- Provisional Government of the Irish Republic
- Sinn Féin
- Society of United Irishmen
- United Irish League
- Young Ireland
Italy
North Macedonia
- Albanian-inhabited communities in SR Macedonia and the Republic of Macedonia
- Ethnic group: Albanians
- Political parties: N/A
- Goals: Unification of Albanian-inhabited areas in western Macedonia with a proposed seventh Yugoslav republic Kosovo (1980s), autonomy or independence of Albanian-inhabited regions in western Macedonia (1990s)
- Events: Unofficial 1992 autonomy referendum, with 90 percent of Albanians voting and more than 99 percent being in favor
- Timespan: 1980s-1990s
- Serbian-inhabited communities in the Republic of Macedonia
- Ethnic group: Serbs
- Political parties: Democratic Party of Serbs in Macedonia, Radical Party of the Serbs in Macedonia
- Goals: Autonomy (Serbian Autonomous Region of Kumanovo Valley and Skopska Crna Gora)
- Timespan: 1992
Ottoman Empire
- Ethnic group: Greeks
- Organization: Filiki Eteria
- Ethnic group: Serbs
- Organization: Serbian rebels
- Ethnic group: Bulgarians
- Organization: Bulgarian revolutionaries, Opalchentsi
Poland
- Narodowa Demokracja
- Towarzystwo Demokratyczne Polskie (Polish Democratic Society)
- Union of Upper Silesians
- Silesian People's Party
Russian Empire
Main article: Pro-independence movements in the Russian Civil WarBashkortostan
Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus
Slovakia
- Political party: Slovak National Party
Soviet Union
- Political parties:
- Azerbaijani Popular Front Party
- Belarusian People's Front
- Rahvarinne
- Popular Front of Latvia, Latvian National Independence Movement
- Sąjūdis
- Moldovan Popular Front
- People's Movement of Ukraine (Rukh)
- Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists
- Ukrainian Insurgent Army
Spain
- Basque Country (also in France)
- Political parties: Aralar Party, Basque Nationalist Party, Batasuna, Eusko Abertzale Ekintza, Eusko Alkartasuna, Nafarroa Bai
- Rebel organizations: Basque homeland and Freedom (ETA), SEGI
- Catalonia
- Political parties: Convergence and Union (Democratic Convergence of Catalonia + Democratic Union of Catalonia), Republican Left of Catalonia, Catalan State, Popular Unity Candidacy, Democrats of Catalonia, Left Movement, Catalan Solidarity for Independence, Reagrupament, National Front of Catalonia
- Rebel organizations: Terra Lliure (disbanded), Exèrcit Popular Català (disbanded)
- Organizations: Assemblea Nacional Catalana, Òmnium Cultural
- Labour unions: Intersindical-CSC, Coordinadora Obrera Sindical
- Galicia
- Political Parties: Galician Nationalist Bloc, Nós-Unidade Popular
- Asturias
- Political parties: Bloque por Asturies, Unidá Nacionalista Asturiana, Andecha Astur
- Rebel organization: Andecha Obrera (disbanded)
- Canary Islands
- Political party: Congreso Nacional de Canarias, Frepic-Awañak, Unión del Pueblo Canario
- Organizations: MPAIAC
- Armed groups: Fuerzas Armadas Guanches
Sweden
- Fennia
- Ethnic Groups: Forest Finns, Tornedalians
- Location: Värmland, Dalarna
- Political movement: Forest Finn Autonomism/Nationalism
United Kingdom
- Cornwall: New Cornish Tertia army, An Gof, Cornish Solidarity
- Isle of Wight: Vectis National Party
- Ireland: Irish Republican Brotherhood, Clan na Gael, Young Ireland, Home Rule League, Irish Socialist Republican Party, Irish Parliamentary Party, All-for-Ireland League, Nationalist Party (Northern Ireland), Irish Independence Party
- Scotland: Scottish National Liberation Army
- Wales: Cymru Fydd, Cymru Goch, Welsh Socialist Alliance, Welsh Republican Movement
Isle of Man
- Isle of Man: Fo Halloo, Manx National Party
Yugoslavia
- Croatia (SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia)
- Ethnic group: Croats
- Political parties: Croatian Democratic Union, Croatian Party of Rights, Croatian Peasant Party
- Armed organizations: Croatian National Guard
- Events: Croatian Spring, War in Croatia
- Goals: Independence
- Republic of Kosovo (AP Kosovo and Metohija, SR Serbia, FR Yugoslavia)
- Ethnic group: Albanians in Kosovo
- Political parties: Democratic League of Kosovo, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, Democratic Party of Kosovo, National Movement for the Liberation of Kosovo, The People's Movement for Kosovo
- Armed organizations: Kosovo Liberation Army, Armed Forces of the Republic of Kosovo
- Events: Insurgency in Kosovo (1993–98), Kosovo War
- Goals: Larger autonomy (until 1989); Independence (1990–2003)
- Ethnic group: Albanians in southern Serbia
- Events: Insurgency in the Preševo Valley
See also
- List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies
- List of active separatist movements recognized by intergovernmental organizations
- Lists of separatist movements
References
- Jürgen Hannig: Die Saar 1945–1955 / La Sarre 1945–1955, Separatisten - Nationalisten? Zum Abstimmungskampf 1955, pp. 381–396, Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, 1995, doi.org/10.1515/9783486829563-035 (German).
- "Chronology for Albanians in Macedonia". UNHCR. Minorities at Risk Project. 2004. Archived from the original on 21 May 2013.
- ^ Hugh Poulton (2000). Who are the Macedonians?. C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. pp. 126, 136. ISBN 9781850655343.
- Cvete Koneska (2016). After Ethnic Conflict: Policy-making in Post-conflict Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN 9781317183976.
- Janusz Bugajski (1994). Ethnic Politics in Eastern Europe: A Guide to Nationality Policies, Organizations, and Parties. M.E. Sharpe. p. 122. ISBN 9781563242823.