Histories
Long-form histories and chapters, each with claim-level citations. Longest first.
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Scotland
History of the Scottish independence debate
How a kingdom that joined Great Britain in 1707 developed a home-rule and independence politics, gained a devolved Parliament, voted on independence in 2014 and returned to the question after Brexit.
1,821 words · 8 min read
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Quebec
History of the Quebec sovereignty movement
From Confederation and the Quiet Revolution to the referendums of 1980 and 1995, the Supreme Court’s secession reference, the Clarity Act and the 2026 election.
1,287 words · 6 min read
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Catalonia
History of Catalan self-government and the independence movement
From the medieval Corts and the Nueva Planta decree to restored autonomy, the 2006 Statute dispute, the 2014 and 2017 votes, and the court cases and amnesty that followed.
1,158 words · 6 min read
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Wales
History of Welsh devolution and the independence debate
From a rejected 1979 Assembly to a narrowly approved 1997 Assembly, an enlarged Senedd with full law-making powers, a 2024 review of Wales's constitutional options, and Plaid Cymru's 2026 election win.
981 words · 5 min read
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Timor-Leste
History of Timor-Leste’s independence process
From Portuguese Timor and the 1975 declaration, through Indonesian invasion and rule, to the 1999 popular consultation, UN administration and independence in 2002.
968 words · 5 min read
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Bougainville
History of Bougainville’s independence movement and peace process
From secessionist politics in the late 1960s and the 1975 declaration, through the 1988–1997 conflict and the 2001 Peace Agreement, to autonomy, the 2019 referendum and the 2026 ratification debate.
948 words · 5 min read
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Greenland
History of Greenland’s self-government and independence debate
From colonisation in 1721 and integration in 1953 to home rule, self-government, the independence clause of 2009 and the pressures of 2025–2026.
841 words · 4 min read
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Western Sahara
History of the Western Sahara question
From Spanish colonial rule and the 1975 crisis, through war, the UN settlement plan and competing proposals, to renewed hostilities and negotiations in 2025–2026.
792 words · 4 min read
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South Sudan
History: South Sudan
From the second Sudanese civil war through the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the 2011 referendum and independence, to the 2013–2018 civil war and the 2018 Revitalised Agreement.
651 words · 3 min read
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Kurdish self-determination
History of Kurdish self-determination projects
Kurdish political projects since the end of the Ottoman Empire: Sèvres and Lausanne, early declarations, and the diverging paths of Kurdish movements in Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria.
644 words · 3 min read
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Flanders
History of Belgian federalisation and the Flemish confederalist and independence movements
From the 1970–1993 state reforms that made Belgium a federal state, through N-VA's and Vlaams Belang's rise, the 2010–2011 government formation crisis and sixth state reform, to Bart De Wever's 2025 premiership.
634 words · 3 min read
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Åland Islands
History of the Åland question and Ålandic self-government
From the 1919 plebiscite and the League of Nations' 1921 settlement, through the successive Autonomy Acts of 1920, 1951 and 1991, to the marginal position of Ålandic independence politics today.
623 words · 3 min read
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Faroe Islands
History of Faroese self-government and the independence debate
From the disputed 1946 independence referendum and the 1948 Home Rule Act to the 2005 Takeover Act, the cancelled 2001 referendum and the current Løgting.
607 words · 3 min read
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Palestinian self-determination and statehood
History of Palestinian self-determination and statehood
From the 1947 UN Partition Plan and the 1948 Nakba, through the PLO's founding and the Oslo Accords, to the 2012 UN status upgrade and the ICJ/ICC proceedings arising from the 2023-2026 Gaza war.
568 words · 3 min read
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Algeria
History: Algeria
From the FLN's 1954 launch of the war, through its rivalry with the MNA and the OAS's campaign against independence, the Évian Accords, the July 1962 referendum, independence, the pied-noir exodus and harki killings, to UN membership and one-party FLN rule.
551 words · 3 min read
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Kurdistan Region of Iraq
History of Kurdish self-government and independence politics in Iraq
From the 1922 Kingdom of Kurdistan and Barzani’s revolts to self-rule in 1992, federal recognition in 2005 and the 2017 referendum.
544 words · 3 min read
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Gibraltar
History of the Gibraltar sovereignty dispute
From the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht through the 1967 and 2002 referendums and Spain's border closure, to the 2006 Constitution and the July 2026 UK-EU-Spain-Gibraltar treaty.
538 words · 3 min read
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Corsica
History of Corsican autonomy politics, 2003–2026
From the narrowly rejected 2003 institutional referendum and the FLNC's 2014 ceasefire, through the 2022 unrest after Yvan Colonna's death, to the 2026 National Assembly vote for a constitutional autonomy statute.
527 words · 3 min read
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Galicia
History of Galician autonomy and nationalism
From the never-enacted 1936 Statute of Autonomy to the 1980 referendum and 1981 Statute, the founding and shifting positions of the BNG, and the 2024 regional election.
512 words · 3 min read
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Northern Ireland
History of Northern Ireland's constitutional question since 1998
From the Good Friday Agreement and its border poll mechanism, through the 2022 Assembly election and 2023 Windsor Framework, to Michelle O'Neill's 2024 appointment as First Minister and current polling on Irish unification.
495 words · 3 min read
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Eritrea
History: Eritrea
From Italian colony to independent state: federation with Ethiopia, annexation, the EPLF-led independence struggle, the 1993 referendum, and relations with Ethiopia since.
486 words · 3 min read
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South Tyrol
History of South Tyrol's autonomy settlement
From the 1946 Gruber–De Gasperi Agreement and 1950s–60s unrest, through UN involvement and the 1972 Second Statute, to the 1992 quietus and the marginal modern independence movement.
464 words · 3 min read
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Kosovo
History of Kosovo's international legal status, 1999-2026
From UN Security Council Resolution 1244's 1999 interim administration, through the 2008 declaration of independence and the 2010 ICJ opinion, to the 2013 and 2023 Belgrade-Pristina normalisation agreements.
453 words · 2 min read
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Abkhazia
History of the Abkhazia dispute
From the 1992-1993 Georgian-Abkhaz war, through the 1999 independence declaration, to Russia's 2008 recognition and the end of the UN observer mission in 2009.
446 words · 2 min read