List of historical separatist movements in Europe

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:

1. They are no longer an active movement with active members.
2. They are demanded greater autonomy or self-determination for a geographic region (as opposed to personal autonomy).
3. 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

• League of Prizren
• Northern Epirus

Belgium

• Political parties
  • Flemish
    • Vlaams Belang, New Flemish Alliance
    • Sociaal-Liberale Partij member of the European Free Alliance

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 ^[1]
  • 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)
  • Samarina Republic, Principality of the Pindus

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

• Sardinia (Sardinian nationalism)
• Sicily (Sicilian nationalism)
• Veneto (Venetian nationalism)

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) ^{[2] [3]}
• Events: Unofficial 1992 autonomy referendum, with 90 percent of Albanians voting and more than 99 percent being in favor ^{[3] [4]}
• 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) ^[5]
• 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 War

Armenia

• Armenian National Council

Azerbaijan

• Azerbaijani National Council

Bashkortostan

• Bashkir Regional Bureau
• Millät Mäclese

Belarus

• Belarusian National Council

Crimea

• Qurultay of the Crimean Tatar People

Don

• Krug for the Salvation of the Don

Estonia

• Estonian Provisional Government

Finland

• Parliament of Finland
• White Guard

Georgia

• Social Democratic Party of Georgia

Idel-Ural

• Collegium for the implementation of the Idel-Ural State

North Ingermanland

• Provisional Committee of Northern Ingria

Karelia

• Union of White Sea Karelians

Kuban

• Kuban Military Council
• Kuban Rada

Latvia

• People's Council of Latvia

Lithuania

• Council of Lithuania

Moldova

• Sfatul Țării

Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus

• Union of the Peoples of the Northern Caucasus
• Executive Committee

Poland

• Regency Council
• Polish political parties

Transcaucasia

• Transcaucasian Commissariat

Ukraine

• Central Council of Ukraine
• General Secretariat of Ukraine

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)

Preševo Valley (Serbia, FR Yugoslavia)

• 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

1. 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).
2. "Chronology for Albanians in Macedonia". UNHCR. Minorities at Risk Project. 2004. Archived from the original on 21 May 2013.
3. Hugh Poulton (2000). Who are the Macedonians?. C. Hurst & Co. Publishers. pp. 126, 136. ISBN   9781850655343.
4. Cvete Koneska (2016). After Ethnic Conflict: Policy-making in Post-conflict Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia. Routledge. p. 67. ISBN   9781317183976.
5. Janusz Bugajski (1994). Ethnic Politics in Eastern Europe: A Guide to Nationality Policies, Organizations, and Parties. M.E. Sharpe. p. 122. ISBN   9781563242823.