SECESSION

'Secession' (derived from the Latin term ''secessio'')is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or political entity. It is not to be confused with succession, the act of following in order or sequence. Typically there is a strong issue difference that drives the withdrawal. Though the term is often associated with full civil war, there are different degrees of secession, some as minor as a particular neighborhood seeking to become a separate municipality 'from' a larger city while still maintaining greater national ties.

Australia

Main articles: Proposals for new Australian States

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. South Australia (SA) was separated in 1836, Victoria (Vic) 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 (centred 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

Main articles: Secessionism in 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.

Canada

:''See main article: Secessionist movements of Canada.''
Throughout Canada's history, there has been tension between English-speaking and French-speaking Canadians. Under the Constitutional Act of 1791, the Quebec colony (including parts of what is today Quebec, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador) was divided in two: Lower Canada (which retained French law and institutions, including seigneurial land tenure, and the privileges accorded to the Roman Catholic church) and Upper Canada (a new colony intended to accommodate the many English-speaking settlers, including the United Empire Loyalists, who had arrived from the United States following the American Revolution). 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 lead to the adoption of a federal system in Canada, and the Canadian Confederation in 1867. The federal framework did not eliminate all tensions, however, leading to the Quebec sovereignty movement in the latter half of the 20th century.
Other secessionist movements have also existed from time to time in Canada, including anti-Confederation movements in 19th century Atlantic Canada (see Anti-Confederation Party), the North-West Rebellion of 1885, and various small separatism movements in Alberta particularly (see Alberta Separatism) and Western Canada generally (see, for example, Western Canada Concept).

Belgium and The Netherlands

Main articles: Belgian Revolution

On Augustus 25th 1830, during the reign of William I, the nationalistic opera La muette de Portici was performed in Brussels. Soon after the Belgian Revolt occurred, which resulted in the Belgian secession from The Netherlands.

Norway and Sweden

Main articles: Dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden in 1905

Norway and Sweden had entered into a loose personal union in 1814. Following a constitutional crisis, in 1905 the Norwegian Parliament declared that King Oscar II had failed to fulfill his constitutional duties on 7 June. He was therefore no longer King of Norway and because the union depended on the two countries sharing a king, it was thus dissolved. Sweden agreed to this on 26 October.

China

★ Currently, the Republic of China (ROC) government, which ruled mainland China before 1949, administers Taiwan and a few surrounding islands, while the People's Republic of China (PRC) government administers mainland China. Both sides officially claim sovereignty over both mainland China and Taiwan. There is debate in Taiwan as to whether to create a new Republic of Taiwan to replace the current ROC government. This is supported by many in the Pan-Green Coalition in Taiwan, but is opposed by most in the Pan-Blue Coalition in Taiwan which supports continuing the ROC as is, and the PRC government which regards Taiwan as a part of its territory. (The pan-blue coalition is essentially the Kuomintang party, the party of Chiang Kai-shek, which came to Taiwan in 1945 and formerly ruled China.) See Taiwan independence.

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★ It is worth mentioning that as Taiwan was a Japanese colony, ruled by Japan and not China, from 1894 until 1945, since 1894 Taiwan and the mainland of China have only really been politically connected for a period of four years in a period of time that is little over a century. This long-term division, particularly during a critical period in the formation of the modern Chinese national identity, has weakened the feeling of connection with the mainland among many Taiwanese, particularly those whose families' residency on the island long predates 1945, and the return to China. (Unlike Korea, most Taiwanese do not have a strong animosity towards Japan).

★
★ It is also worth noting that Taiwan has ''never'' been under the control of the People's Republic of China (PRC), so it cannot have been said to have ever "seceded" from the PRC. However the more relevant question is secession from Chinese sovereignty, as despite a period of non-Chinese administration, Taiwan has essentially remained part of Chinese sovereignty.

★
★ At the Third session of the Tenth National People's Congress (March 14th 2005) the Chinese government adopted the Anti-Secession Law of the People's Republic of China. It was created for the purpose of 'opposing and checking Taiwan's secession from China by secessionists in the name of "Taiwan independence"'. The Law includes that Taiwan is part of China and that the unification of China 'is the sacred duty of all Chinese people, the Taiwan compatriots included.'

★
★
★ One reason why the PRC government is reluctant to consider proposals for formal independence for Taiwan is that they feel that by doing so, they would encourage other independence movements in other regions now controlled by China, such as Tibet, Xinjiang and inner Mongolia.

★ Within the PRC, the two western regions of Xinjiang and Tibet are also the focus of strong secessionist calls, which are strongly suppressed within the PRC. The dispute is a result of the unique ethnic, cultural, and religious characters of the two regions, as well as differences between the two sides in the interpretation of the history, political status, and human rights situation in the regions. See International Tibet Independence Movement and East Turkestan independence movement.

★ Also within the PRC there has been some talk of secession among the people of Inner Mongolia. (While Outer Mongolia is an independent nation, Inner Mongolia is a province of China).

★ There has been some talk of secession from among the minority peoples of Yunnan province in south central China.

India

The Constitution of India does not allow Indian states to declare independence, and separatist political parties have been banned. Secessionist movements in Kashmir and Punjab have been suppressed by the military.
Pakistan and the Kashmiri separatist movement allege that the state of Jammu and Kashmir has the right, under international law, to leave the Indian Union after a plebescite. India rejects this argument, arguing that the UN resolutions on which this right is based are archaic, on three grounds: 1) Pakistan has not withdrawn its troops from its share of Kashmir-a prerequisite for a refendum; 2) The Kashmiri legislature ratified the union of Kashmir and India; 3) Indian Kashmir has been integrated into India, and secession is literally impossible.
In the 1970s and 1980s members of the Sikh religion began a movement to create a Sikh state known as Khalistan in the Punjab region bordering both India and Pakistan. Indian military forces crushed the violent insurgency in the 1990s, destroying part of the famous Golden Temple during one incident.^[1]

Somalia

Somaliland seceded from Somalia in 1991. To date, it is unrecognized by the UN or any other state.

Secession in Former Yugoslavia

In the early 1990s, Croatia, Slovenia, and later Bosnia and Herzegovina decided to secede from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which resulted in the bloody Yugoslav wars of secession and the dissolution of Yugoslavia. The Slovenia war was brief and of low intensity, with fewer than 100 deaths on both sides. However, large Serbian minorities in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina fought against secession, sometimes aided by the Yugoslav army, and formed their own secessionist enclaves. However, the secession of Macedonia in 1991 was not resisted. Serbian attempts to repress secessionists in Muslim-majority Kosovo led to the 1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Kosovo remains under United Nations administration. Montenegro peacefully separated from its union with Serbia in 2006.

Italy

The northern-Italian party Lega Nord has declared in 15 September 1996 the secession of Padania (Northern-Italy) for the differences of culture and economy between North and South, for opposition to the centralism of Rome. The politics of secession has been turned off by Lega Nord, after the coalition with the Centre-Right parties and the proposals of devolution and federalism. Although, an ineffective Parliament has been conserved into the Party and its regional sections are named as "national".

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has a number of different secession movements:

★ In Scotland the Scottish National Party (SNP) campaigns for Scottish independence and direct Scottish membership of the European Union. It has representation at all levels of Scottish politics and now forms the devolved government of Scotland after becoming the largest party in the Scottish Parliament. There are also a number of nascent pro-independence parties, which have enjoyed only limited electoral success. The Scottish Green Party, the Scottish Socialist Party and the Scottish Enterprise Party are amongst the most widely publicised.

★ 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 is the second largest party in the National Assembly of Wales.

★ In England there are a number of small movements that call for a separate devolved English parliament or full independence from the United Kingdom, among them the English Democrats and the Campaign for an English Parliament. None of these have made any significant electoral impact. There are also several small Secessionist movements, most notably the Sovereign Kingdom of Kemetia which reputedly claimed independence from England in mid-2005.^[2]

★ In Northern Ireland, Irish Republicans and Nationalists in general, have long called for the secession of Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom in order to join the Republic of Ireland, this being opposed by Unionists. There is no significant constituency for secession from both the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

★ There is also a Cornish self-government movement.
The Republic of Ireland comprises the only territory that has withdrawn from the United Kingdom proper; as the Irish Free State it gained independence in 1922 (independence had been declared in 1916).

United States

American revolutions

According to some secession theorists, the American Revolution, in which thirteen British colonies successfully fought for independence from the British Crown, was a secession, as opposed to a revolution. Revolutions seek to replace current governments, while secession movements merely seek separation from current governments. According to this view, the independence movements of Latin American countries were also examples of secession (from Spain). Other positions emphasize the colonial nature of British rule, and the previous restrictions on participation by colonists in the government.

Northeast United States and the Hartford Convention

New England most often considered seceding from the union: in 1803 over the Louisiana Purchase, in 1808 over the embargo of British trade, in 1814 over war with Britain, in 1843 over the annexation of Texas, and in 1847 over the Mexican War.^[3] Opposition to the War of 1812 (which lasted until 1815) spurred Federalists from the north-eastern U.S. to convene informally the 1814 Hartford Convention where there was some discussion of secession from the nation. The war ended soon afterwards, and revelations about the secession discussions politically destroyed the Federalists.

South Carolina

During the presidential term of Andrew Jackson, South Carolina had its own semi-secession movement due to the "Tariffs of Abomination" which threatened both South Carolina's economy and the Union. Andrew Jackson also threatened to send Federal Troops to put down the movement and to hang the leader of the secessionists from the highest tree in South Carolina. Also due to this, Jackson's vice president, John C. Calhoun, who supported the movement and wrote the essay "The South Carolina Exposition and Protest", became the first US vice-president to resign.

Confederate States of America

One of the most famous unsuccessful secession movements was the case of the Southern states of the United States. Secession from the United States was declared in thirteen states, eleven of which joined together to form the Confederate States of America. These thirteen states were Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Missouri, and Kentucky. In these last two states secession was declared by its supporters but did not become effective, and was opposed by pro-Union state governments. This secession movement brought about the American Civil War. The position of the Union was that the Confederacy was not a sovereign nation but instead a collection of states in revolt.

West Virginia

The western counties of Virgina making up what is now West Virginia seceded from Virginia (which had joined the Confederacy) and became the 35th state of the U.S. during the course of the war.

Texas secession from Mexico

The Republic of Texas successfully seceded from Mexico in 1836. In 1845 Texas joined the United States as a full-fledged state. Mexico refused to recognize Texas independence and warned the U.S. that annexation meant war. The Mexican–American War followed in 1846.

Recent efforts in the United States

Examples of both local and state secession movements can be cited over the last 25 years. Some secessionist movements to create new states have failed, others are ongoing.
There was an attempt by Staten Island to break away from New York City in the late 1980s and early 1990s (See: City of Greater New York). Around the same time, there was a similar movement to separate Northeast Philadelphia from the rest of the city of Philadelphia. San Fernando Valley lost a vote to separate from Los Angeles in 2002 but has seen increased attention to its infrastructure needs (See: San Fernando Valley secession movement). Several towns in Vermont including Killington recently explored a secession request to allow them to join New Hampshire over claims that they are not getting adequate return of state resources from their state tax contributions.
Advocates in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, with off and on intensity, have called for it to become a separate 51st state. Others wanted the peninsula, Minnesota and Wisconsin to combine into the North Star Republic. Similarly some in the Little Egypt region of Illinois want to separate due to what they consider Chicagoan control over the legislature and economy. The mock 1982 secessionist protest by the Conch Republic in the Florida Keys resulted in an ongoing source of local pride and tourist amusement.
In November 2006, the Supreme Court of Alaska held that secession was illegal, Kohlhaas vs. State, and refused to permit an otherwise proper Initiative to be presented to the people of Alaska for a vote.
The Republic of Texas has been quite fractious and one faction generated national publicity for its illegal antics in the late 1990s. There have been repeated attempts to form a Republic of Cascadia in the Pacific Northwest. The Hawaiian sovereignty movement has a number of active groupings which have won some concessions from the State of Hawaii. Founded in the 1983, The Creator's Rights Party seeks to have one or more states secede in order to implement "God’s plan for government" and is fielding political candidates in 2007 around the United States.
Efforts to organize a continental secession movement have been initiated since 2004 by members of Second Vermont Republic, working with noted decentralist author Kirkpatrick Sale. Their second "radical consultation" in November of 2004 resulted in a statement of intent called The Middlebury Declaration. It also gave rise to the Middlebury Institute, which documents the development of this movement.
In November 2006 the same group sponsored the First North American Secessionist Convention which attracted 40 participants from 16 secessionist organizations and was (erroneously) described as the first gathering of secessionists since the Civil War. Delegates included a broad spectrum from libertarians to socialists to greens to Christian conservatives to indigenous peoples activists. Groups represented included Alaskan Independence Party, Cascadia Independence Project, Hawaii Nation, The Second Maine Militia, The Free State Project, the Republic of New Hampshire, the League of the South, Christian Exodus, the Second Vermont Republic and the United Republic of Texas. Delegates created a statement of principles of secession which they presented as the Burlington Declaration.^[4]The Second North American Secessionist Convention is planned for October, 2007, in Chattanooga, Tennesee.
In the summer of 2007, an advocacy group called Californians for Independence was formed. Its mission is "the eventual secession of California from the United States of America."

Citations

External links

★ The Middlebury Institute

★ Second Vermont Republic

★ Free South Carolina Republic

★ A Salon.com article arguing for a legal basis for US states to secede.

★ Cascadian Independence Project Homepage of the US based Cascadian Independence Project

★ Secession (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

★ Secession - from the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica

★ Secession - from the Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia

★ Website on short-lived effort to create ''Jefferson State'' on the U.S. west coast

★ secession search

★ American Secession Project

★ New England Secession: Education and discussion of the possibilities of the New England states seceding from the union.

★ The Worldwide Confederation of Independent States Treaty Organization: dedicated to the principle of the primacy of secession as a right.

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