This is a list of countries by date of their last transition from a monarchy to a republican form of government. There were two periods in recent history when many such transitions took place:
Some of the countries on this list were part of larger, now extinct, states (such as the Russian Empire or Yugoslavia) when the transition to a republic took place. Countries that have always had non-republican forms of government (such as absolute monarchy, theocracy, etc.) are not included in this list. Some were also independent states that shared their head of state with other countries (such as Denmark or the United Kingdom) before abolishing the link with the shared monarchy. Countries marked in yellow have since ceased to be republics in favour of another form of government.
| Country/Region | Date of Transition | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| Poland | 1 July 1569 | Establishment of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth as a result of the Union of Lublin. Poland-Lithuania was often referred to as a republic under the presidency of the King, having a King who reigns and does not rule and the Parliament being responsible for governance. In Polish, the Commonwealth is known as the First Polish Republic (Polish : Pierwsza Rzeczpospolita), or literally as the Republic of Both Nations (Polish : Rzeczpospolita Obojga Narodów), whilst formally being the Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania (Polish : Królestwo Polskie i Wielkie Księstwo Litewskie). |
| Lithuania | ||
| Netherlands | 26 July 1581 | The Republic of the Seven United Netherlands declared its independence from King Philip II of Spain on 26 July 1581, with the Act of Abjuration, and became the Batavian Republic in 1795. The Kingdom of Holland was formed on 5 June 1806. |
| Switzerland | 24 October 1648 | Switzerland became independent from the Holy Roman Empire by the Treaty of Westphalia |
| England | 19 May 1649 | The Commonwealth of England, later known as the Protectorate, was established on 19 May 1649, following the execution of King Charles I. At its height, it ruled over all the British Isles leaving the Thirteen Colonies effectively ruled over by a republic. The monarchy was restored on 29 May 1660. |
| Algeria | 1659 | The division of government between the Pashas appointed by the porte and the Odjak of Algiers ended In 1659. The Regency of Algiers became a de facto Independent stratocracy, with power vested first in the agha, appointed as president of the diwan, then the Dey of Algiers from 1671 onward. [1] [2] |
| United States | 4 March 1789 | The present U.S. constitution became effective, establishing the current U.S. government. [3] |
| Venezuela | 21 December 1811 | Venezuelan constitution of 1811 adopted. |
| Colombia | 19 September 1812 | The 1811 Constitution of the Free and Independent State of Cundinamarca is reformed. A republican system of government is established and the authority of the King of Spain is completely eliminated. |
| Paraguay | 12 October 1813 | Republic proclaimed after independence from Spain on 14 May 1811 |
| Argentina | 9 July 1816 | Independence won from the Spanish Empire. Republican governments established from 1811 onwards. Republican constitutions of 1819 and 1826 led to the adoption of the 1853 text |
| Chile | 12 February 1818 | Independence declared from the Spanish Empire. Between 1810 and 1814 there were republican governments although nominally remained loyal to the Spanish monarchy. In 1817 there was re-established the independentist government and established a republican system in different constitutional texts. |
| Colombia | 17 December 1819 | Republic of Colombia declared during Congress of Angostura |
| Panama | ||
| Ecuador | 24 May 1822 | Incorporated into Republic of Colombia, end of Royal Audiencia of Quito |
| Costa Rica | 1 July 1823 | Independence of United Provinces of Central America |
| El Salvador | ||
| Guatemala | ||
| Honduras | ||
| Nicaragua | ||
| Peru | 9 December 1824 | Treaty signed after Battle of Ayacucho |
| Bolivia | 6 August 1825 | Constitutional congress declared Bolivia a republic |
| Uruguay | 18 July 1830 | Promulgation of the first Uruguayan constitution |
| Liberia | 26 July 1847 | Independent Republic of Liberia created |
| Haiti | 15 January 1859 | Abdication of Emperor Faustin |
| Dominican Republic | 25 March 1865 | Adoption of new constitution near end of Dominican Restoration War |
| Mexico | 15 July 1867 | Emperor Maxmilian executed; Federal Republic officially restored |
| France | 4 September 1870 | Emperor Napoleon III deposed and French Third Republic proclaimed as a result of the Franco-Prussian War |
| Ivory Coast | Republican government instituted when French mother country became a republic | |
| Mauritania | ||
| Senegal | ||
| Brazil | 15 November 1889 | Emperor Pedro II deposed and Brazilian Republic proclaimed by Marshall Deodoro da Fonseca |
| Hawaii | 4 July 1894 | Queen Liliʻuokalani deposed and republic proclaimed following a provisional government |
| Madagascar | 28 February 1897 | End of Merina Kingdom |
| Philippines | 23 January 1899 | First Philippine Republic. [lower-alpha 1] |
| Cuba | 20 May 1902 | Independence as Republic of Cuba following United States Military Government after the end of the Spanish–American War |
| Portugal | 5 October 1910 | King Manuel II deposed and Portuguese First Republic proclaimed as a result of the 1910 revolution |
| Angola | Republican government instituted when Portuguese mother country became a republic | |
| Cape Verde | ||
| East Timor | ||
| Guinea-Bissau | ||
| Mozambique | ||
| São Tomé and Príncipe | ||
| China | 1 January 1912 | Republic of China (ROC) proclaimed as a result of the Xinhai Revolution. The ROC was initially in control of mainland China but later relocated to Taiwan. It is now commonly known as "Taiwan". The People's Republic of China was proclaimed on 1 October 1949, and is now in control of mainland China. It is commonly known as "China". |
| Comoros | 1912 | End of last of indigenous sultanates |
| Armenia | 14 September 1917 | Emperor Nicholas II of Russia abdicated as a result of the February Revolution and Russia was proclaimed a republic |
| Azerbaijan | ||
| Belarus | ||
| Estonia | ||
| Georgia | ||
| Kazakhstan | ||
| Kyrgyzstan | ||
| Latvia | ||
| Russia | ||
| Ukraine | ||
| Czech Republic | 18 October 1918 | Czechoslovak Republic proclaimed |
| Slovakia | ||
| Germany | 9 November 1918 | Emperor William II abdicated as a result of the German Revolution |
| Austria | 12 November 1918 | Republic of German Austria proclaimed following the dethronement of Emperor Charles |
| Finland | 14 December 1918 | King Frederic Charles renounced the throne |
| Turkmenistan | 26 April 1920 | Khan Sayid Abdullah deposed and Khorezm People's Soviet Republic proclaimed |
| Lebanon | 23 July 1920 | French Mandate of Syria established after the Battle of Maysalun |
| Syria | ||
| Tajikistan | 8 October 1920 | Emir Mohammed Alim Khan deposed and Bukharan People's Republic proclaimed |
| Uzbekistan | ||
| Togo | 20 July 1922 | Formal beginning of French Togoland League of Nations Mandate |
| Turkey | 29 October 1923 | Republic of Turkey was proclaimed after the Turkish War of Independence, succeeding the Ottoman Empire |
| Mongolia | 26 November 1924 | Mongolian People's Republic proclaimed [lower-alpha 2] |
| Spain | 14 April 1931 | The Second Spanish Republic came to power on 14 April 1931, following the economic crisis caused by the 1929 Wall Street Crash. The Republic lost power after the Spanish Civil War. Francisco Franco then led Spain until his death on 20 November 1975, when democracy was restored. |
| Moldova | 2 August 1940 | Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic proclaimed following the annexation of Romanian Bessarabia by the Soviet Union |
| Iceland | 17 June 1944 | Republic of Iceland established after a referendum |
| North Korea | 15 August 1945 | Korea liberated from Japan and the People's Republic of Korea established, divided into North Korea and South Korea a month later. |
| South Korea | ||
| Indonesia | 17 August 1945 | Republic of Indonesia's proclamation of independence triggering the Indonesian National Revolution |
| Vietnam | 25 August 1945 | Emperor Bảo Đại abdicated and Democratic Republic of Vietnam was proclaimed in the north, State of Vietnam then Republic of Vietnam proclaimed in the south. |
| Taiwan | 25 October 1945 | Taiwan and Penghu Islands transferred to the Republic of China. Since 1949, the ROC only controls Taiwan and the surrounding islands. [lower-alpha 3] |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 29 November 1945 | Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia proclaimed while King Peter II was in exile |
| Croatia | ||
| North Macedonia | ||
| Montenegro | ||
| Serbia | ||
| Slovenia | ||
| Albania | 1 January 1946 | People's Republic of Albania proclaimed while King Zog was in exile |
| Hungary | 1 February 1946 | Second Hungarian Republic proclaimed |
| Italy | 12 June 1946 | King Umberto II renounced the throne and the Italian Republic was established after a referendum |
| Bulgaria | 15 September 1946 | Tsar Simeon II deposed and People's Republic of Bulgaria proclaimed after a referendum |
| Marshall Islands | 18 July 1947 | end of South Seas Mandate and beginning of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands |
| Federated States of Micronesia | ||
| Palau | ||
| Romania | 30 December 1947 | King Michael abdicated and the People's Republic of Romania was proclaimed |
| Myanmar | 4 January 1948 | Burmese independence declared |
| Israel | 14 May 1948 | State of Israel proclaimed |
| Ireland | 18 April 1949 | Republic of Ireland Act came into force |
| India | 26 January 1950 | Constitution of India came into effect |
| Egypt | 18 June 1953 | Republic proclaimed after revolution in 1952 |
| Gaza Strip | ||
| Sudan | 1 January 1956 | Independence of Republic of Sudan |
| South Sudan | ||
| Pakistan | 23 March 1956 | Constitution of Pakistan came into effect and Governor General Iskander Mirza became President. Three coups in 1958 Pakistani coup d'état, 1977 and in 1999 respectively before restoration of civil electorate in 2008. |
| Bangladesh | ||
| Tunisia | 25 July 1957 | King Muhammad VIII al-Amin deposed |
| Iraq | 14 July 1958 | Faisal II deposed/killed in 14 July Revolution |
| Guinea | 2 October 1958 | Gained independence as a republic |
| Tibet | 23 March 1959 [7] | The unrecognized de facto state of Tibet was annexed by the People's Republic of China and its political system was eliminated in 1959 [lower-alpha 4] |
| Mali | 20 June 1960 | Gained independence as a republic |
| Somalia | 26 June 1960 | Independence of State of Somaliland, which was united with the Trust Territory of Somalia on 1 July to form the Somali Republic |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 30 June 1960 | Gained independence as a republic |
| Ghana | 1 July 1960 | Constitutional change after referendum on 27 April |
| Cyprus | 16 August 1960 | Gained independence as a republic |
| South Africa | 31 May 1961 | Republican constitution adopted |
| Cameroon | 1 October 1961 | End of British Trusteeship in Southern Cameroons, union with rest of Cameroon |
| Samoa | 1 January 1962 | Gained independence as a republic |
| Rwanda | 1 July 1962 | Independence as a republic following monarchy referendum in 1961 |
| Yemen | 27 September 1962 | King Muhammad al-Badr deposed and Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) proclaimed |
| Tanganyika | 9 December 1962 | Republican constitution adopted |
| Nigeria | 1 October 1963 | Constitutional amendment |
| Uganda | 9 October 1963 | Constitutional amendment |
| Zanzibar | 12 January 1964 | Sultanate overthrown in Zanzibar Revolution |
| Zambia | 24 October 1964 | Gained independence as a republic |
| Kenya | 12 December 1964 | Republican constitution adopted |
| Singapore | 9 August 1965 | Ousted from the Federation of Malaysia |
| Malawi | 6 July 1966 | Republican constitution adopted |
| Botswana | 30 September 1966 | Gained independence as a republic |
| Burundi | 28 November 1966 | Republic declared after army coup d'état |
| West Bank | 7 June 1967 | Conquered from Jordan and occupied by Israel |
| South Yemen | 30 November 1967 | Independence of People's Republic of South Yemen |
| Nauru | 31 January 1968 | Gained independence as a republic |
| Equatorial Guinea | 12 October 1968 | Gained independence as a republic |
| Maldives | 11 November 1968 | Sultan Muhammad Fareed Didi deposed and Maldivian Second Republic established after a referendum |
| Libya | 1 September 1969 | King Idris I deposed by Muammar Gaddafi's coup d'état |
| Guyana | 23 February 1970 | Co-operative Republic of Guyana proclaimed |
| Cambodia | 18 March 1970 | The Khmer Republic (later known as Democratic Kampuchea, then the People's Republic of Kampuchea, and finally the State of Cambodia) was declared in 1970 when Prince Norodom Sihanouk was deposed. The monarchy was restored in 1993. |
| The Gambia | 24 April 1970 | Republic proclaimed following constitutional referendum |
| Sierra Leone | 19 April 1971 | Republican constitution adopted |
| Sri Lanka | 22 May 1972 | Sri Lankan constitution adopted |
| Bangladesh | 16 December 1972 | Constitution came into effect after a year of formation of state in 1972. Three coups followed in 1975 and 1982. |
| Afghanistan | 17 July 1973 | King Mohammed Zahir Shah abdicated after Mohammed Daoud Khan's coup d'état |
| Greece | 8 December 1974 | Final abolition of monarchy; referendum |
| Malta | 13 December 1974 | Republic of Malta proclaimed |
| Eritrea | 21 March 1975 | Monarchy of Ethiopian Empire finally abolished |
| Ethiopia | ||
| Suriname | 25 November 1975 | Gained independence as a republic |
| Laos | 2 December 1975 | King Savang Vatthana abdicated as a result of a communist revolution |
| Seychelles | 29 June 1976 | Gained independence as a republic |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 1 August 1976 | Republican constitution adopted |
| Dominica | 3 November 1978 | Gained independence as a republic |
| Iran | 11 February 1979 | Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi deposed and Islamic Republic of Iran (a theocratic republic) proclaimed as a result of the Iranian Revolution [12] |
| Kiribati | 12 July 1979 | Gained independence as a republic [13] |
| Central African Empire | 21 September 1979 | Emperor Bokassa I deposed in a coup d'état [14] |
| Zimbabwe | 17 April 1980 | Full independence of Zimbabwe [15] |
| Fiji | 6 October 1987 | Fiji Republic proclaimed as a result of the coup d'état of Sitiveni Rabuka [16] |
| Mauritius | 12 March 1992 | Republic of Mauritius proclaimed as a result of constitutional changes [17] |
| Nepal | 28 May 2008 | Abolition of monarchy [18] |
| Barbados | 30 November 2021 | Proclaimed itself a republic via constitutional changes [17] |
Chinese unification, also known as Cross-Strait unification or Chinese reunification, is the potential unification of territories currently controlled, or claimed, by the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China ("Taiwan") under one political entity, possibly the formation of a political union between the two republics. Together with full Taiwan independence, unification is one of the main proposals to address questions on the political status of Taiwan, which is a central focus of Cross-Strait relations.
The Commonwealth of the Philippines was an unincorporated territory and commonwealth of the United States that existed from 1935 to 1946. It was established following the Tydings–McDuffie Act to replace the Insular Government of the Philippine Islands and was designed as a transitional administration in preparation for full Philippine independence. Its foreign affairs remained managed by the United States.
A Treaty of friendship and alliance between the Government of Mongolia and Tibet was signed on 11 January 1913, at Urga.
The abolition of monarchy is a legislative or revolutionary movement to abolish monarchical elements in government, usually hereditary.
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The term "Two Chinas" refers to the geopolitical situation where two political entities exist under the name "China".
The Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission (MTAC) was a ministry-level commission of the Executive Yuan in the Republic of China. It was disbanded on 15 September 2017.
The Treaty of Manila of 1946, formally the Treaty of General Relations and Protocol, is a treaty of general relations signed on July 4, 1946, in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. It relinquished U.S. sovereignty over the Philippines and recognized the independence of the Republic of the Philippines. The treaty was signed by High Commissioner Paul V. McNutt as representative of the United States and President Manuel Roxas as representative of the Philippines.
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The decolonisation of Asia was the gradual growth of independence movements in Asia, leading ultimately to the retreat of foreign powers and the creation of several nation-states in the region.
The Republic of China (ROC), or simply China, was a sovereign state based on mainland China from 1912 to 1949 prior to the government's relocation to Taiwan, where it continues to be based today. The ROC was established on 1 January 1912 during the Xinhai Revolution against the Qing dynasty, ending the imperial history of China. The Republican government was ruled by the Kuomintang (KMT) as a one-party state based in Nanjing from 1927, until its flight to Taipei on 7 December 1949 following the KMT's de facto defeat by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the Chinese Civil War. The CCP proclaimed the People's Republic of China on 1 October 1949, while the ROC retains control over the "Free Area", with the political status of Taiwan remaining in dispute to this day.
The Tibet Area is a province-level administrative division of China since 1950. It was created after the invasion of Tibet by the Republic of China (1912–1949), and nominally includes the Ü-Tsang and Ngari areas, but not the Amdo and Kham areas. The territories were merely claimed by the ROC, but actually controlled by an independent Tibet with a government headed by the Dalai Lama in Lhasa. The ROC was defeated during the Chinese Civil War; it retreated to Taiwan and lost control of mainland China to the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949; afterwards, the ROC continued to claim Tibet.
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The present Constitution of the United States did not commence its operation until the first Wednesday in March 1789
