Declaration of independence
- This article is about declarations of independence in general. Specific declarations of independence are listed below in alphabetical order. For the painting of this name, see Trumbull's Declaration of Independence.
For the 1938 short film, see The Declaration of Independence (film).
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state. Not all declarations of independence were successful and resulted in independence for these regions.
Declarations of independence are typically made without the consent of the parent state, and hence are sometimes called unilateral declarations of independence (UDI), particularly by those who question the declarations' validity.
| Region | Declaration | Date | Year | Parent | Signatories | First recognising state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albania | Albanian Declaration of Independence | November 28 | 1912 | Ottoman Empire | ||
| United Provinces of South America (Argentina) |
Argentine Declaration of Independence | July 9 | 1816 | Spain | Congress of Tucumán | |
| Azerbaijan | Azerbaijan Declaration of Independence | August 30 | 1991 | Soviet Union | Popular Front of Azerbaijan | Turkey |
| Bangladesh | Bangladeshi Declaration of Independence | 1971 | Pakistan | India | ||
| Belarus | Belavezha Accords | December 8 | 1991 | Soviet Union | Presidents of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus | Turkey |
| Belgium | Belgian Declaration of Independence | October 4 | 1830 | Netherlands | Provisional Government of Belgium | |
| Brazil | Brazilian Declaration of Independence | September 7 | 1822 | Portugal | Pedro I of Brazil | |
| Central America | Central American Declaration of Independence | September 15 | 1821 | Spain | ||
| Chile | Chilean Declaration of Independence | February 12 | 1818 | Spain | National Congress | Portugal |
| Dominican Republic | Dominican Declaration of Independence | February 27 | 1844 | Haiti | ||
| East Timor | East Timorese Declaration of Independence | November 28 | 1975 | Portugal | Morocco | |
| Estonia | Estonian Declaration of Independence | February 24 | 1918 | Russia | Salvation Committee | |
| Estonia | Estonian Confirmation of Independence | August 20 | 1991 | Soviet Union | Congress of Estonia | Iceland |
| Finland | Finland's Declaration of Independence | December 19 | 1917 | Russia | Parliament of Finland | |
| Georgia (country) | Georgia's Declaration of Independence | April 9 | 1991 | Soviet Union | Germany | |
| Georgia (U.S. state) | Georgia's secession declaration | January 29 | 1861 | United States | ||
| Guinea-Bissau | Guinea-Bissau Declaration of Independence | September 24 | 1973 | Portugal | ||
| Haiti | Haitian Declaration of Independence | January 1 | 1804 | France | Jean-Jacques Dessalines | |
| Hungary | Hungarian Declaration of Independence | April 17 | 1848 | Austrian Empire | ||
| Iceland | Icelandic Declaration of Independence | June 17 | 1944 | Denmark | ||
| India | Indian Declaration of Independence | August 15 | 1947 | United Kingdom | United States | |
| Indonesia | Indonesian Declaration of Independence | August 17 | 1945 | Netherlands | Sukarno & Mohammad Hatta | Egypt |
| Ireland | Proclamation of the Irish Republic | April 24 | 1916 | United Kingdom | Irish Volunteers Irish Citizen Army |
|
| Irish Republic | Irish Declaration of Independence | January 21 | 1919 | United Kingdom | Dáil Éireann | Soviet Union |
| Israel | Israeli Declaration of Independence | May 14 | 1948 | United Kingdom | Jewish People's Council | United States |
| Katanga | Katangan Declaration of Independence | 1960 | Congo (Léopoldville) | |||
| Korea | Korean Declaration of Independence | March 1 | 1919 | Japan | ||
| Kosovo | 1990 Kosovo declaration of independence | ? | 1990 | Serbia | Albania | |
| Kosovo | Kosovo declaration of Independence | February 17 | 2008 | Serbia | Assembly of Kosovo | Costa Rica |
| Latvia | On the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia | May 4 | 1990 | Soviet Union | Supreme Soviet of the Latvian SSR | Iceland |
| Lithuania | Act of Independence of Lithuania | February 16 | 1918 | Germany | Council of Lithuania | Germany |
| Lithuania | Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania | March 11 | 1990 | Soviet Union | Supreme Council of Lithuania | Iceland |
| Low Countries (the Netherlands) | Oath of Abjuration | July 26 | 1581 | Spain | ||
| Macedonia | Independence of Macedonia | 1991 | Yugoslavia | Bulgaria | ||
| Mississippi | A Declaration of the Immediate Causes which Induce and Justify the Secession of the State of Mississippi from the Federal Union | January 9 | 1861 | United States | ||
| Moldova | Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Moldova | August 27 | 1991 | Soviet Union | Parliament of the Republic of Moldova | Romania |
| Montenegro | Montenegro declaration of independence | June 3 | 2006 | Serbia and Montenegro | Assembly of the Republic of Montenegro | Iceland |
| New Zealand | Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand | 1835 | United Kingdom | Māori chiefs | ||
| Northern America (Mexico) |
Solemn Act of the Declaration of Independence of Northern America | November 6 | 1813 | Spain | Congress of Anáhuac | |
| Northern Cyprus | Declaration of Independence of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus | November 15 | 1983 | Cyprus | Turkey | |
| Norway | Constitution of Norway | May 17 | 1814 | Union according to Treaty of Kiel | Constitutional assembly | |
| Pakistan | August 14 | 1947 | India | |||
| Peru | Act of the Declaration of Independence of Peru | July 28 | 1821 | Spain | José de San Martín | |
| Palestine | Palestinian Declaration of Independence | November 15 | 1988 | Israel | Palestinian National Council | |
| Philippines | Philippine Declaration of Independence | June 12 | 1898 | Spain | Emilio Aguinaldo | |
| Rhodesia | Rhodesian Unilateral Declaration of Independence | November 11 | 1965 | United Kingdom | Ian Smith and the rest of the Cabinet | none |
| Romania | Romanian Declaration of Independence | May 22 | 1871 | Ottoman Empire | King Carol I | |
| Russia | Belavezha Accords | December 8 | 1991 | Soviet Union | Presidents of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus | |
| Scotland | Declaration of Arbroath | April 6 | 1320 | England | Scottish leaders | |
| Singapore | Proclamation of Singapore[1] | August 9 | 1965 | Malaysia | Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister of Singapore | |
| Slovenia | Slovenian Declaration of Independence | June 25 | 1991 | Yugoslavia | Croatia | |
| Somaliland | Somaliland Declaration of Independence | 1991 | Somalia | none | ||
| South Carolina | Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify the Secession of South Carolina from the Federal Union | December 24 | 1860 | United States | South Carolinians in Charleston | |
| Southern Cameroons | Southern Cameroons Declaration of Independence | December 31 | 1999 | Cameroon | none | |
| Texas | Texas Declaration of Independence | March 2 | 1836 | Mexico | ||
| Texas | A Declaration of the Causes which Impel the State of Texas to Secede from the Federal Union | February 1 | 1861 | United States | Texas Legislature | |
| Transnistria | Transnistrian Declaration of Independence | September 2 | 1990 | Soviet Union | Second Congress of the Peoples' Representatives of Pridnestrovie | none |
| Ukraine | Belavezha Accords | December 8 | 1991 | Soviet Union | Presidents of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus | Poland |
| United States | United States Declaration of Independence | July 4 | 1776 | Great Britain | Second Continental Congress | France |
| Uzbekistan | Declaration of Independence | August 31 | 1991 | Soviet Union | Supreme Council of Uzbekistan | Turkey |
| Venezuela | Venezuelan Declaration of Independence | July 5 | 1811 | Kingdom of Spain | Representatives of the States of Venezuela | |
| Vietnam | Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam | September 2 | 1945 | Japan | Hồ Chí Minh | China |
Independence without a declaration
In many cases, independence is achieved without a declaration of independence but instead occurs by bilateral agreement. An example of this is the independence of many components of the British Empire, most parts of which achieved independence through negotiation with the United Kingdom government. Australia and Canada, for example, achieved full independence through a series of acts of their respective national parliaments.
On the other hand, regions often achieve de facto independence, but do not declare independence. Notable examples include Taiwan, which China has threatened to invade should it officially declare independence. Iraqi Kurdistan was de facto independent from the central Iraqi government between the Persian Gulf War and the Iraq War, but could not declare statehood out of fear of losing international support. Such regions often refer to themselves as autonomous regions, with or without the assent of the central government.
See also
- Independence Day
- Separatism
- Thomas Jefferson
- Jacob Sheehan
- Liam MacDonald
- Lara Murry
- Assem Abouelnaga
- The Thirteen Colonies
Notes
- See the Independence of Singapore Agreement 1965 (1985 Rev. Ed.).
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; from the article "Declaration of independence". Image Credit.
