A declaration of independence is an assertion by a
polity
A polity is a group of people with a collective identity, who are organized by some form of political Institutionalisation, institutionalized social relations, and have a capacity to mobilize resources.
A polity can be any group of people org ...
in a defined territory that it is
independent and constitutes a
state
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the
territory
A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal.
In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...
of another state or failed state, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state. In 2010, the UN's
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice (ICJ; , CIJ), or colloquially the World Court, is the only international court that Adjudication, adjudicates general disputes between nations, and gives advisory opinions on International law, internation ...
ruled in
an advisory opinion in Kosovo that "International law contains no prohibition on declarations of independence",
though the state from which the territory wishes to secede may regard the declaration as
rebellion
Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...
, which may lead to a
war of independence
Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...
or a constitutional settlement to resolve the crisis.
List of declarations of independence
See also
*
Independence referendum
An independence referendum is a type of referendum in which the residents of a territory decide whether the territory should become an Independence, independent sovereign state. An independence referendum that results in a vote for independenc ...
*
List of national independence days
An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary
An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded.
Most countries celebrate national anniversaries, typically called national day ...
*
List of sovereign states by date of formation
Below is a list of sovereign states with the dates of their formation (date of their independence or of their constitution), sorted by continent.
This list includes the List of sovereign states, 195 states which are currently member states of t ...
*
Political history of the world
*
Separatism
Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, regional, governmental, or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seekin ...
*
Unilateral declaration of independence
Explanatory notes
References
External links
*
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