Independence is the
self-government of a
nation,
country, or
state by its residents and population, or some portion thereof, generally exercising
sovereignty.
The term
independence is used in contrast to
subjugation, which refers to a region as a "territory" —subject to the political and military control of an external
government. The word is sometimes used in a weaker sense to contrast with
hegemony, the indirect control of one nation by another, more powerful nation.
Independence can be the initial status of an
emerging nation (often filling a political void), but is often an
emancipation from some dominating power. It can be argued that independence is a negative definition: the state of not being controlled by another power through
colonialism,
expansionism or
imperialism. Independence may be obtained by
decolonization, or by separation or
dismemberment.
Although the last three can often coincide with it, they are not to be confused with
revolution, which typically refers to the
violent overthrow of a ruling authority. This sometimes only aims to redistribute power—with or without an element of emancipation, such as in
democratization—
within a state, which as such may remain unaltered. The
Russian October Revolution, for example, was not intended to seek national independence; the
United States Revolutionary War, however, was.
Autonomy (in slight contrast) refers to a kind of independence which has been granted by an overseeing authority that itself still retains ultimate authority over that territory (see
Devolution). A
protectorate refers to an autonomous region that depends upon a larger government, for its protection as an autonomous region. The dates of established independence (or, to a lesser degree, the commencement of revolution), are typically celebrated as a national
holiday known as an
independence day.
Sometimes, a state wishing to achieve independence from a dominating power will issue a
declaration of independence, the earliest surviving example being
Scotland's
Declaration of Arbroath, and the most famous of which is the
U.S. Declaration of Independence issued in
1776.
Causes for a country or province wishing to seek independence are many. Disillusionment rising from the establishment is a cause widely used in separatist movements, but it is usually severe economic difficulties that trigger these groups into action. The means can extend from peaceful demonstrations, like in the case of the
Indian independence movement, to a violent
civil war.
See also
Article note
The dates of independence, as they have been ported into many articles from the
CIA World Factbook are defined as follows:
- For most countries, [the given date is that] when sovereignty was achieved...For the other countries, the date given may not represent "independence" in the strict sense, but rather some significant nationhood event such as the traditional founding date or the date of unification, federation, confederation, establishment, or fundamental change in the form of government, such as state succession.
Self-governance is an abstract concept that refers to several scales of organization. It may refer to personal conduct or family units but more commonly refers to larger scale activities, i.e.
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A nation is a form of cultural or social community. Nationhood is an ethical and philosophical doctrine and is the starting point for the ideology of nationalism. Members of a "nation" share a common identity, and usually a common origin, in the sense of ancestry, parentage or
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In political geography and international politics, a country is a political division of a geographical entity, a sovereign territory, most commonly associated with the notions of state or nation and government.
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A state is a political association with effective dominion over a geographic area. It usually includes the set of institutions that claim the authority to make the rules that govern the people of the society in that territory, though its status as a state often depends in part on
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Sovereignty is the exclusive right to complete political (e.g. legislative, judicial, and/or executive) control over an area of governance, people, or oneself. A sovereign is the supreme lawmaking authority, subject to no other.
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Governing body may refer to:
- Education
- The governing body of a school in England, Northern Ireland or Wales, comprised of school governors
- Board of education, the governing body of a school or higher administrative level
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Please see the relevant discussion on the .
Hegemony (pronounced [
hə.ˈdʒe.mə.ni (Amer.), hɪ.ˈɡe.mə.ni (Brit...... Click the link for more information. A nation is a form of cultural or social community. Nationhood is an ethical and philosophical doctrine and is the starting point for the ideology of nationalism. Members of a "nation" share a common identity, and usually a common origin, in the sense of ancestry, parentage or
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Colonialism is the extension of a nation's sovereignty over territory beyond its borders by the establishment of either settler colonies or administrative dependencies in which indigenous populations are directly ruled or displaced.
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In general, expansionism consists of expansionist policies. While some have linked the term to promoting economic growth (in contrast to no growth / sustainable policies), more commonly expansionism refers to the doctrine of a nation's expanding its territorial base (or economic
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Imperialism is the forceful extension of a nation's authority by territorial conquest establishing economic and political domination of other nations that are not its own colonies.
Overview
Imperialism is the domination of one people by another people.
..... Click the link for more information. Decolonization refers to the undoing of colonialism, the establishment of governance or authority through the creation of settlements by another country or jurisdiction.
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Dismemberment is the act of cutting, tearing, pulling, wrenching or otherwise removing, the limbs of a living thing. It may be practiced upon human beings as a form of capital punishment, as a result of a traumatic accident, or in connection with murder, suicide, or cannibalism.
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revolution (from Late Latin revolutio which means "a turn around") is a significant change that usually occurs in a short period of time. Variously defined revolutions have been happening throughout human history.
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Violence is the use of physical force against persons that potentially causes fear, injury or death. Damage, in some contexts, is also considered a form of violence. The definition of violence is often widened to include threats of physical force and substantially abusive language
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Democratization (British English: Democratisation) is the transition to a more democratic political regime. It may be the transition from an authoritarian regime to a partial democracy, transition from authoritarianism to a full democracy or transition from a
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October Revolution in Russia, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, is a coup d'état traditionally dated to October 24, 1917 (November 7, N.S.). [1] It was the second phase of the overall Russian Revolution of 1917, after the February Revolution of the same year.
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autonomous area is an area of a country that has a degree of autonomy, or freedom from an external authority. Typically it is either geographically distinct from the country or is populated by a national minority. Countries that include autonomous areas are often federacies.
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Devolution or home rule is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a state to government at national, regional, or local level. It differs from federalism in that the powers devolved may be temporary and ultimately reside in central government, thus
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protectorate is a political entity (a sovereign state or less developed native polity, such as a tribal chiefstainship or feudal princely state) that formally agrees by treaty to enter into an unequal relationship with another, stronger state, called the protector
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The word holiday has related but different meanings in English-speaking countries. A contraction of holy and day, holidays originally represented special religious days. This word has evolved in general usage to mean any special day of rest (as opposed to regular days of rest such
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An Independence Day is an annual celebration commemorating the anniversary of a nation's assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a colony or part of another state.
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- This article is about declarations of independence in general. Specific declarations of independence are listed below in alphabetical order.
A
declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states.
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Nemo me impune lacessit (Latin)
"No one provokes me with impunity"
"Cha togar m'fhearg gun dioladh"
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Declaration of Arbroath was a declaration of Scottish independence, and set out to confirm Scotland's status as an independent, sovereign state and its use of military action when unjustly attacked. It is in the form of a letter submitted to Pope John XXII, dated 6 April 1320.
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The United States Declaration of Independence was an act of the Second Continental Congress, adopted on July 4, 1776, which declared that the Thirteen Colonies in North America were "Free and Independent States" and that "all political connection between them and the State of
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8th century - 9th century - 10th century
850s 860s 870s - 880s - 890s 900s 910s
885 886 887 - 888 - 889 890 891
:
Subjects: Archaeology - Architecture -
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The Indian Independence Movement was a series of revolutions empowered by the people of India put forth to battle the British Empire for complete political independence, beginning with the Rebellion of 1857.
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civil war is a war in which parties within the same culture, society or nationality fight against each other for the control of political power.
Some civil wars are categorized as revolutions when major societal restructuring is a possible outcome of the conflict.
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