Separatism in Europe: causes, centers

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

Regional movements for autonomy or independence are gaining momentum all over the world, but so far it is Europe that is really hovering over the “phantom of separatism”. Serious geopolitical defeats are not far off, which will significantly change the map of the Old World. Similar upheavals and redrawings of borders over the past century and a half have occurred every two or three generations. Dry figures confirm this: on the eve of World War I, there were 59 states in the world, by the middle of the twentieth century their number had increased to 89, and by 1995 to 192.

The question of the future redrawing of borders is quite systematic. Politicians and diplomats are so fond of talking about the stability and inviolability of the world order that they involuntarily recall Hitler's "thousand-year Reich" (as the most striking and well-known example), which was very far from the specified period, and the Soviet communists, who sincerely believed that their system represents the final stage in the development of human history, it was briefly experienced. It's time to deal with the history of separatism in Europe and modern centersresistance.

Formation of nation-states

Separatism in Europe is a phenomenon of the New Age, the result of the process of regionalization, the struggle for national sovereignty and the consolidation of nations. The ground for the emergence of pockets of separatism began to be prepared since the nation-states gained sovereignty, and all territorial decisions in Europe were reinforced by the emergence of new countries. The absolute monarchy has weakened, the process of democratization of society and the formation of presidential-parliamentary systems has begun.

A vivid example of non-European separatism of those years is the beacon of democracy in the Western world - the United States of America. The appearance of this country on the map was a direct result of the bloody war of the separatists of North America, who did not want to live under the British crown. True, the situation in America itself was not unambiguous: the civil war of 61-65 of the nineteenth century broke out between the slave-owning South and the industrial North.

The period between the First and Second World Wars

A more interesting stage to consider European separatism is the period between the major world wars of the twentieth century. This stage of historical development is characterized by an active anti-colonial movement and the formation of new countries. These processes have affected both third world countries and specific regions of Europe.

Interestingly, the leaders of the anti-colonial movements at that time did not set out to form a separate state on an ethnic basis, but the impetus given by these movementsled precisely to a pronounced desire to create ethnic statehood. There was an idea to make an ethnic group exercising its rights in the historical territory the subject of state self-determination. The expression of this desire later became ethnic separatism in the Balkan region in the sixties and eighties of the last century.

The post-war stage of the history of separatism

It was after the Second World War that Israel appeared, when the division of Palestine took place. The situation is standard: the Jewish separatists argued their desire to gain sovereignty by the right of "land and blood", and the Palestinians provided tough opposition to preserve the territorial integrity of the state.

The British Isles were also restless - the Irish Republican Army conducted sabotage activities against London throughout the last century. The British authorities considered and still consider the organization a terrorist organization, but for the people of Belfast they are brave rebels who are fighting for independence.

There are examples of post-war separatism, when there was a peaceful detachment of territories, but they are not numerous. The current German state of Saar after the Second World War was under the protectorate of France. In 1957, after protests from the local population and a referendum, this area became part of Germany. Throughout the twelve post-war years, France limited the use of the German language, pursued an openly pro-French policy, and prevented the preservation of local identity. After the will of the people, the Saarans were reunited with those whospoke the same language with them, with those with whom they had lived side by side for the past few centuries.

At the same time, several ethnic conflicts arose on the territory of the former Yugoslavia. The conflict in Kosovo is still in a "frozen" state, and the situation in Bosnia in 1992-1995 ended with the creation of a new independent state - Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The first presidents of independent Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and a dozen other states should also be attributed to the separatists in the post-Soviet space. It was they who, after highly controversial legal manipulations, abolished the country, the political system of which was supposed to represent the last stage in the development of human history. Is this not separatism? These people, after Belovezhskaya Pushcha, headed the states that arose as a result of a direct collusion.

Controversial causes of separatism

The main reason for the intensification of separatist sentiment in Europe was the desire for unity. If we continue to force Catalonia and the Basque Country to remain part of Spain, Padania and Veneto to Italy, and Scotland to Great Britain, there will be no peace. Discontent and aggression will only grow, which in the end can lead to even more sad consequences. Here comes the next cause of separatism in Europe, namely the crisis of the legitimacy of the government. There is a growing perception that all existing problems cannot be solved simply by a change of government, more drastic measures and constitutional changes are needed.

Another reason for separatism in Europe isloss of meaning of the model of a large centralized state. After World War II, humanity entered a long peaceful period in its history. For centuries, the expansion of the country's territory meant an increase in power due to new resources, increased the ability to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state. Now, due to the absence of external threats, the importance of the territorial factor and the amount of resources is decreasing.

Today's state is no longer a guarantor of security (especially with the strengthening of international terrorism), but a guarantor of economic prosperity. Veneto, Catalonia and Scotland, the three provinces that are fighting for independence today, have in common that they are the richest and most developed regions of their countries, none of them is willing to share income with the poorer southern territories. So any model of government that contains the preconditions for a slowdown in the growth of welfare will be recognized as illegitimate today.

The fundamental cause of the government's legitimacy crisis, and hence separatism in Europe, has to do with disillusionment with existing political institutions. In recent years, there has been a catastrophic decline in trust in governments and parliaments. This is how “disappointed democrats” appeared - citizens who support the democratic regime in principle, but are dissatisfied with the concrete work of its representatives and institutions.

So, at the heart of separatism in European countries is not nationalism, as is commonly believed, but the mostreal pragmatism and the desire to ensure maximum economic well-being.

Modern pockets of resistance in Europe

Experts have calculated that more than ten new states could theoretically emerge in the Old World in the twenty-first century. The pockets of separatism in modern Europe are shown on the map below.

The most traditional example is the Basque Country, the most resonant today is Catalonia. These are two regions of Spain that, despite their autonomy, demand more. A new autonomous status in 2007 was adopted by another Spanish province - Valencia. Corsica and the province of Brittany are delivering a "headache" to France, separatist sentiments are raging in Italy in the northern regions, and Belgium may well be divided into the Flemish northern and the Walloon southern parts.

And this is not about other pockets of separatism and self-proclaimed territories in Europe. There are also the Faroe Islands in Denmark, British Scotland, Jura Canton in quiet Switzerland, Romanian Transylvania, and so on. Separatism in Europe cannot be briefly described - each case has its own history. Read more about some of the regions that are seeking independence, below.

Catalonia seeks independence

Separatism in Europe in the 21st century was again discussed ahead of the Catalan independence referendum. An autonomous province in the northeast of Spain, which has its own national language and distinct culture, sharply opposes itself to the rest of the country. In 2005, the Catalans even became a separatea nation recognized by the central government in Madrid. But there are still parties and organizations in the region (mostly left-wing) that advocate the secession of the province from Spain.

Catalonia still declared independence. This fateful decision was made after a referendum. On October 27, 2017, Catalonia began to remove the Spanish flags, while the Spanish government took away autonomy from the region at an emergency meeting. The situation is developing rapidly, but it is not yet clear what will happen next. The main concerns about the referendum in Catalonia are related to the fact that the Europeans are afraid of a "chain reaction", because in many countries of the Old World there are potentially "explosive" regions.

Basque country in the struggle for sovereignty

The Basque Country bears no less risk for the territorial integrity of Spain. As in Catalonia, there is a fairly high standard of living and strong anti-Spanish sentiments - the region historically gravitates towards France. The three provinces that make up the Basque Country have far greater rights in monarchical Spain compared to other regions, and the Basque language has the status of a state language.

The reason for the activation of this hotbed of separatism in Europe was the policy of Francisco Franco. Then the Basques were banned from publishing books and newspapers, teaching in the Basque language, and hanging the national flag. The ETA organization (in translation - "Basque Country and Freedom"), created in 1959, initially set as its goal the fight against Francoism. grouping on differentstages did not disdain terrorist methods and enjoyed the support of the Soviet Union. Franco has long been dead, the Basque Country has gained autonomy, but separatism in Western Europe does not stop.

Separatists of Foggy Albion

The recent referendum in Catalonia was also supported by Scotland, another hotbed of separatism in Europe. In 2014, more than half of the local residents (55%) were against detachment, but the processes of national isolation continue. There is another region in the UK that is debating the subject of a secession referendum. An active separatist movement in Europe, namely in Northern Ireland, may become more active after the announcement of London's intentions to leave the EU. The situation is developing slowly but decisively.

Flanders does not want to "feed" Belgium

Conflicts between the two main communities began immediately after Belgium gained independence from the Netherlands in 1830. The inhabitants of Flanders do not speak French, the Walloons do not speak Flemish, and they had to unite only under the pressure of circumstances. So Belgium itself is a not-quite-natural state entity.

Recently, calls for division have been increasingly heard in the country: Flanders, which is more prosperous in the economic sense, does not want to “feed” Wallonia. Initially, Flanders was a backward peasant region that survived on subsidies from Wallonia, where industry was actively developing. When the industrial revolution boomed in the French-speaking region in the nineteenth century, the "Dutch" countryside was only an agricultural appendage. The situation changed after the sixties of the last century. Wallonia is now the weak region.

To date, Brussels remains the most difficult problem. The city has Flemish and Walloon districts, which makes it quite difficult to manage the capital.

If the country still falls apart, we can expect Flanders to remain an independent state entity. The region is self-sufficient, it is there that separatist sentiments are strong. Wallonia, on the other hand, has never had a pronounced nationalism, so it is likely that in the event of a disengagement, it will join some country, most likely France.

Turbulence Zones in Italy

About 80% of the population of the province of Veneto supports the idea of secession from Spain. If this happens, we can expect the revival of the strongest Republic of Venice, which ceased to exist after the conquests of Napoleon at the end of the eighteenth century. Until recently, northern Padania also wanted to leave Rome. Behind this initiative is the League of the North, which is already insisting on transforming the state into a federation.

Ethnic Hungarians in Transylvania

Separatism in Europe is spreading to the east. Romanian Transylvania previously belonged to the Hungarians, before that - the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Most of the Romanian Hungarians live in this territory. IN 2007year, the local Hungarians spoke in favor of autonomy from the capital and independent relations with the Hungarian Budapest. In Transylvania, they are louder and louder saying that “the time for Hungarian autonomy has come.”

The problem of separatism in Europe is now more acute than ever. The official authorities are trying to slow down these processes, but it is not known how successful such a policy will be in the future, because separatist sentiments are growing. With the independence of the first region, others will also feel confident. Thus, in the twentieth century, one can expect the appearance on the political map of the world of many small European states. It is possible that such entities will be more willing to unite in blocs that will not pose a threat to their sovereignty.