List of proposed state mergers

This is a list of proposed state mergers, including both current and historical proposals originating from sovereign states or organizations. The entities listed below differ from separatist movements in that they would form as a merger or union of two or more existing states, territories, colonies or other regions, becoming either a federation, confederation or other type of unified sovereign state.

Historic

Early modern period

Proposed state Components Time period Successful? Notes
Swiss Confederation Uri
Schwyz
Unterwalden
1307 Yes
(1307-1798)
Three cantons formed the initial Confederation in the 1307 Rütlischwur, followed by the 1315 Pact of Brunnen; ten more cantons joined over the life of the Confederacy.
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Kingdom of Poland (1385–1569)
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
1569 Yes
(1569–1795)
See Union of Lublin
Polish–Lithuanian–Muscovite Commonwealth Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Tsardom of Russia
1574–1658 No
Iberian Union Crown of Portugal
Crown of Castille
Crown of Aragon
1580–1640 Yes Portugal became part of the realms of the Spanish Habsburg (Casa de Austria) following the death of Henry I of Portugal but resumed its independence 60 years later.
Polish–Lithuanian–Ruthenian Commonwealth Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Cossack Hetmanate
1658–1659 No Treaty of Hadiach
Kingdom of Great Britain  Kingdom of England
 Kingdom of Scotland
1707 Yes Though having been ruled since 1603 in Personal Union when James VI succeeded both the English and Scottish crowns both countries remained separate sovereign nations states until 1706 when the Treaty of Union unified them into a single entity.
United States of America Vermont Republic
United States of America
1777–1791 Yes
United States of America  Connecticut
 Delaware
 Georgia
 Maryland
 Massachusetts
 New Hampshire
 New Jersey
 New York
 North Carolina
 Pennsylvania
 Rhode Island
 South Carolina
 Virginia
1786–1788 Yes
(1788–1861)
United States Constitution is ratified by the Thirteen Original Colonies, replacing the Articles of Confederation and thereby forming a Federal government, ending the individual sovereignty of the States.

19th century

Proposed state Components Time period Successful? Notes
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland  Kingdom of Great Britain
 Kingdom of Ireland
1800 Yes
(1801–1922)
Created by the Acts of Union 1800. Most of Ireland left the union as the Irish Free State in 1922, while Northern Ireland remained part of the United Kingdom.
Gran Colombia United Provinces of New Granada
Second Republic of Venezuela
Free Province of Guayaquil
1819–1830 Yes
(1819–1830)
First Mexican Empire Mexico
Captaincy General of Guatemala
1821 Yes
(1821–1823)
Central America was annexed into the First Mexican Empire. After the dissolution of the Empire only Chiapas choose to remain part of Mexico, the rest became the Federal Republic of Central America.

Costa Rica in particular was split between inner factions in favor and against the annexation ending in a Civil War. The pro-Mexican provinces declared membership but was not recognized by the pro-independence provinces.

Federal Republic of Central America El Salvador
Honduras
Nicaragua
Guatemala
Los Altos
Costa Rica
1823 Yes
(1823–1839)
Costa Rica Costa Rica
Nicoya
1824 Yes The old "Partido de Nicoya" currently encompasses most of the 21st-century Guanacaste Province. See Annexation of Nicoya.
Peru–Bolivian Confederation Bolivia
Peru
1829–1839 Yes
(1836–1839)
United States of America United States of America

Upper Canada

1830s No Republicans in Upper Canada pursued annexation by the United States.[1] See Rebellions of 1837–1838.
United States of America United States of America
Republic of Texas
1845 Yes Texas annexation
Kingdom of Italy Kingdom of Sardinia
Papal States
Grand Duchy of Tuscany
Duchy of Parma
Duchy of Modena and Reggio
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia (Part of Austrian Empire)
1848–1870 Yes Although the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed in 1861, the Italian Unification is generally considered to have been incomplete until after the integration of Venetia in 1866 and the capture of Rome in 1870. See Italian Unification and Expedition of the Thousand.
Federation of Central America El Salvador
Honduras
Nicaragua
1852 Yes Second attempt at unification that lasted for less than a month.
Liberia Republic of Liberia
Republic of Maryland
1854–1857 Yes Republic of Maryland was officially named Maryland in Liberia during its independence referendum on 29 May 1854.
Confederate States of America State of South Carolina
State of Mississippi
State of Florida
State of Alabama
State of Georgia
State of Louisiana
State of Texas
Commonwealth of Virginia
State of Arkansas
State of North Carolina
State of Tennessee
1861 Yes
(1861–1865)
American Civil War
United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia Principality of Wallachia
Principality of Moldavia
1862 Yes Becomes Kingdom of Romania in 1881.
Kingdom of Greece Kingdom of Greece
United States of the Ionian Islands
1864 Yes Treaty of London (1864)
North German Confederation  Kingdom of Prussia
 Kingdom of Saxony
 Grand Duchy of Hesse
 Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin
 Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
 Grand Duchy of Oldenburg
 Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
 Duchy of Anhalt
 Duchy of Brunswick
 Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg
 Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
 Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen
Various other small principalities and free cities
1866 Yes
(1867–1871)
Following the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and the annexation by Prussia of Austria's northern German ally states, Otto von Bismarck proposed to unify Prussia and its own German ally states into a single Federation. Consequently, the North German Constitution was adopted, with the provision that the southern German minor states could enter into the union when politically feasible.
Dominion of Canada Province of Canada
 Province of New Brunswick
 Province of Nova Scotia
1867 Yes Canadian Confederation
Antillean Confederation Captaincy General of Cuba
Captaincy General of Puerto Rico
 Dominican Republic
1869–1870 No Proposed by Ramón Emeterio Betances.
German Empire North German Confederation
Kingdom of Bavaria
Kingdom of Württemberg
Grand Duchy of Baden
Grand Duchy of Hesse
Alsace-Lorraine
Austrian Empire
1871 Partial
(1871–1918)
Unification of Germany (excluding Austria) after German victory over the French in the Franco-Prussian War. See also, the German Question regarding the competing ideas of "Greater Germany" and "Lesser Germany" (whether or not a united Germany should include the Austrian Empire). The matter was settled with the Austro-Prussian War in 1866, in which Prussia assumed leadership of the various minor German nation states.
Bulgaria–Romania Bulgaria
Romania
1878–1879 No Proposed personal union, German prince Alexander of Battenberg is elected instead.[2]
Principality of Bulgaria Bulgaria
Autonomous Province of East Rumelia (part of the Ottoman Empire)
1885–1886 Yes After Bulgaria crushed Serbia in the Serbo-Bulgarian War of 1885, Bulgaria nearly doubled in size when East Rumelia was incorporated within its borders. Bulgaria officially annexed it from the Ottoman Empire in 1885.
Bulgaria–Romania Bulgaria
Romania
1886–1887 No Proposed personal union, rejected by Carol I of Romania due to Russian pressure.[2]
Greater Republic of Central America El Salvador
Honduras
Nicaragua
Considered joining:
Costa Rica
 Guatemala
1895–1898 Yes
(1896–1898)
United States of America United States of America
Republic of Hawaii
1898 Yes United States annexation of the Territory of Hawaii

20th century

Proposed state Components Time period Successful? Notes
 Commonwealth of Australia  New South Wales
 Queensland
South Australia
 Tasmania
 Victoria
 Western Australia
Also invited:
Colony of Fiji
Colony of New Zealand
1901 Yes Federation of Australia
Franco-British Union  United Kingdom
 France
1904–1956 No A Franco-British Union is a concept for a union between the two independent sovereign states of the United Kingdom and France.

Such a union was proposed during certain crises of the 20th century; it has some historical precedents.

In April 1904 the United Kingdom and the Third French Republic signed a series of agreements, known as the Entente Cordiale, which marked the end of centuries of intermittent conflict between the two powers, and the start of a period of peaceful co-existence. Nationalist political leaders from both sides were uncomfortable with the idea of such a merging.

 Union of South Africa  Cape Colony
 Colony of Natal
 Orange River Colony
 Transvaal Colony
1909 Yes Union of South Africa
Balkan Socialist Federation  Principality of Albania
 Kingdom of Bulgaria
 Kingdom of Yugoslavia
1910–1916 No
Kingdom of Yugoslavia Kingdom of Montenegro
Kingdom of Serbia
State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs
1918 Yes
(1918–1992)
Creation of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Romania  Kingdom of Romania
Moldavian Democratic Republic
1918 Yes
(1918)
See Union of Bessarabia with Romania, Treaty of Bucharest
Kingdom of Romania  Kingdom of Romania
Transylvania
Crișana
Maramureș
Banat
Bessarabia
Bukovina
1918-1920 Partial
(1920–1947)
Unification of Greater Romania, in 1918 Bessarabia and Bukovina fully included, while in 1920 Banat, Crișana and Maramureș partially, while Transylvania fully included
Międzymorze  Belarusian People's Republic
 Czechoslovak Republic
 Estonia
 Finland
Hungarian People's Republic
 Latvia
 Lithuania
 Polish Republic
 Kingdom of Romania
 Ukrainian People's Republic
 Kingdom of Yugoslavia
 Kingdom of Bulgaria
November or December 1918 No Also called "Intermarium". Suggested shortly after World War I to combat the influences of Germany and Russia.
Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic  Democratic Republic of Armenia
 Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
 Democratic Republic of Georgia
1918 Yes
(1918)
A short-lived South Caucasian state that extended across what are now the modern-day countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, plus parts of Eastern Turkey as well as Russian border areas. The state only lasted for a month before Georgia declared independence, followed shortly by Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Weimar Republic Weimar Republic
Republic of German-Austria
1918–1919 No Following the disintegration of Austria-Hungary in the final days of World War I, the German-speaking territories of the former Austria-Hungary attempted to begin a process of integration into Weimar Germany. The Allies did not favor the idea, and forced the Austrian rump state to sign the Treaty of Saint Germain, which prohibited Austria from uniting with Germany.
Hungary–Romania  Kingdom of Romania
Republic and Kingdom of Hungary
1917–1920 No Federation or personal union between the Kingdom of Romania and the Kingdom/Republic of Hungary under one monarch. Proposals were mostly enhanced in 1919 and 1920, but they continued to exist up to the Second World War.[3][4][5][6]
Ukrainian People's Republic Ukrainian People's Republic
West Ukrainian People's Republic
1919 Yes
(1919)
Act Zluky
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Byelorussian SSR
Russian SFSR
Transcaucasian SFSR
Ukrainian SSR
1922 Yes
(1922–1991)
Treaty on the Creation of the USSR
Greater German Reich German Reich
Federal State of Austria
1938 Yes
(1938–1945)
Anschluss
 Republic of Turkey  Republic of Turkey
 Hatay State
1939 Yes On 2 September 1938 the Sanjak of Alexandretta declared itself separate from the French Mandate of Syria, becoming the Hatay State. On 29 June 1939, the legislature voted to merge with Turkey.
Polish-Czechoslovak confederation  Czechoslovak Republic
 Polish Republic
1939–1948 No Proposed by Władysław Sikorski.
Greek-Yugoslav confederation Strictest definition:
 Kingdom of Greece
 Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Loosest definition also includes:
 Albanian Kingdom
 Kingdom of Bulgaria
 Kingdom of Romania
1942–1944 No The Greek-Yugoslav confederation or federation, was a political concept during World War II, sponsored by the United Kingdom and involving the Yugoslav government-in-exile and the Greek government-in-exile. The two governments signed an agreement pushing the proposal ahead, but it never got beyond the planning stage because of opposition from within the Yugoslav and the Greek governments, real world events, and the opposition of the Soviet Union. The proposal envisioned the creation of a confederation of Greece and Yugoslavia.
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
People's Socialist Republic of Albania
People's Republic of Bulgaria
1946–1948 No Josip Broz Tito came extremely close to persuading Albania to accept integration into Yugoslavia, but relations cooled in 1948 over fears that Yugoslavia only intended to use Albania for raw materials, subsequently resulting in the expulsion of Yugoslav diplomats. Yugoslav/Bulgarian negotiations fell through when Moscow attempted to force both countries into accepting Soviet control over the merge, which caused Yugoslavia to withdraw from negotiations and precipitated the Tito–Stalin split.
 Dominion of India  India
Junagadh State
Other states
1947–1948 Yes Political integration of India, Annexation of Junagadh
United States of Indonesia Bangka
Banjar
Biliton
Central Java
East Borneo
East Indonesia
East Java
East Sumatra
Great Dayak
Indonesia

Madura
Pasundan
South Sumatra
Southeast Borneo
Riouw
West Borneo

1946–1949 Yes
(1949–1950)
Following discussions between Dutch authorities and Indonesian nationalist leaders, the Linggadjati Agreement was signed on 15 November 1946, in which the unilaterally declared Republic of Indonesia agreed to the principle of a federal Indonesia including the territory controlled by the Republic and other territory in the region which the Dutch controlled at that point. The Dutch then organised the December 1946 Denpasar Conference, which led to the establishment of the State of East Indonesia, followed by a state in West Borneo. Further states were set up in former territory of the Republic after they were conquered by the Dutch in 1947. Further Dutch military action faced increasing resistance from governments of the states they had established, and this combined with international pressure caused the Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference to take place in The Hague from August to November 1949. This Conference resulted in the Dutch agreeing to hand over sovereignty to a federal union of these states, which officially became the Republic of the United States of Indonesia. This federation lasted only a year, as its member states agreed to dissolve themselves into a unitary state, the last stage of which took place on 17 August 1950.
European Union federation  Austria
 Belgium
 Bulgaria
 Croatia
 Republic of Cyprus
 Czechia
 Denmark
 Estonia
 Finland
 France
 Germany
 Greece
 Hungary
 Ireland
 Italy
 Latvia
 Lithuania
 Luxembourg
 Malta
 Netherlands
 Poland
 Portugal
 Romania
 Slovakia
 Slovenia
 Spain
 Sweden

Former countries:
 United Kingdom

1951–2021 No The federalisation of the European Union describes processes and proposals by which the European Union (EU) is transformed from an informal confederation (a union of sovereign states) towards a federation (a single federal state with a central government, consisting of a number of partially self-governing federated states). There is ongoing discussion about the extent to which the EU has already become a federation over the course of decades, and more importantly, to what degree it should continue to evolve into a federalist direction. As of 2021, the EU has no formal plans to become a federation.

One of the first practical and successful proposals for European cooperation came in 1951 with the European Coal and Steel Community. Since then, the European Community has gradually evolved to Union in which a whole range of policy areas where its member states hope to benefit from working together.

 Dominion of India  India
Princely states
1947–1950 Yes Instrument of Accession
 Dominion of Pakistan  Pakistan
Princely states
1947–1950 Yes Instrument of Accession
 Dominion of India  India
Hyderabad
1948 Yes Annexation of Hyderabad
Dominion of Canada Dominion of Canada
Dominion of Newfoundland
1948–1949 Yes In two rounds of referendums in 1948, the Dominion of Newfoundland had the choice of becoming an independent state, merging with the Dominion of Canada, or remaining as a British dominion. The Newfoundland Act of 1949, an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, confirmed and gave effect to the Terms of Union agreed to between the then-separate Dominions of Canada and Newfoundland on 23 March 1949.
 Indonesia  Indonesia
Netherlands New Guinea
1950–1969 Yes Following Dutch recognition of Indonesian Independence, Indonesia continued to claim the remaining Dutch territory in the region, Netherlands New Guinea, as its rightful territory. The dispute escalated into low-level conflict in 1962 following Dutch moves in 1961 to establish a New Guinea Council. Facing diplomatic pressure from the United States, fading domestic support and continual Indonesian threats to invade the territory, the Netherlands decided to relinquish control of the disputed territory in August 1962. Following a short period of UN administration, the territory was transferred to Indonesia on 1 May 1963.
Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland  Protectorate of Nyasaland
 Protectorate of Northern Rhodesia
 Colony of Southern Rhodesia
1953 Yes
(1953–1963)
A semi-independent state.
 West Germany  West Germany
 Saar Protectorate
1955–1957 Yes 1955 Saar Statute referendum, Saarland became a New State of Germany and exited France's economic union
United Kingdom  United Kingdom
Crown Colony of Malta
1956 No See 1956 Maltese United Kingdom integration referendum.
 Ghana  Ghana
British Togoland
1956–1957 Yes In the 1956 British Togoland status plebiscite, 58% of voters supported a union with Ghana, whereas 42% voted in favor of remaining a United Nations Trust Territory under British control until neighbouring French Togoland had decided its future.
North Borneo Federation Crown Colony of North Borneo
Crown Colony of Sarawak
 Protectorate of Brunei
1956–1960 No Sarawak and North Borneo merged with the independent Federation of Malaya several years later, forming Malaysia, while Brunei later became an independent state on its own.
United States of Latin Africa Angola

DRC

Rwanda

Burundi

Republic of Congo

Central African Republic

Chad

Cameroon

Gabon

Equatorial Guinea

1957–1959 No proposed union of Romance-language-speaking Central African countries envisioned by Barthélémy Boganda. Boganda first called for it in May 1957.[7] The idea's implementation was cut short by Boganda's death in a plane crash on March 29, 1959.[8] Boganda viewed this entity to be a counterweight to the powerful British-influenced southern bloc of South Africa and the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.[7]
 Cameroon  Cameroon
 Equatorial Guinea
1958–1963 No The Equatoguinean independence leader Enrique Nvo and the first formal Equatoguinean political party, IPGE, advocated for independence from Spain and a political union between Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.[9] The idea of a union was deemed unfeasible after the 1963 Equatorial Guinean autonomy referendum.[9]
 West Indies Federation British Barbados
British Jamaica
British Leeward Islands (except the Virgin Islands)
British Trinidad and Tobago
British Windward Islands
Also invited:
Crown Colony of the Bahama Islands
British Guiana
British Honduras
British Virgin Islands
1958 Yes
(1958–1962)
The expressed intention of the Federation was to create a political unit that would become independent from Britain as a single state. However, before that could happen, the Federation collapsed due to internal political conflicts.
 United Arab Republic Republic of Egypt
Syrian Republic
1958 Yes
(1958–1961)
A short-lived Pan-Arab state.
United Arab States  United Arab Republic
 Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen
1958 Yes
(1958–1961)
Loose confederation between the United Arab Republic and North Yemen.
Arab Federation  Kingdom of Iraq
 Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
1958 Yes
(14 February – 2 August 1958)
An attempt to unify the two Hashemite kingdoms of Iraq and Jordan. While successful, the short-lived union was disestablished after a military coup deposed King Faisal II of Iraq.
Somali Republic Trust Territory of Somalia
State of Somaliland
1960 Yes
(1960–1991)
On 26 June 1960, the former British Somaliland protectorate briefly obtained independence as the State of Somaliland, with the Trust Territory of Somaliland following suit five days later.[10][11] The following day, on 27 June 1960, the newly convened Somaliland Legislative Assembly approved a bill that would formally allow for the union of the State of Somaliland with the Trust Territory of Somaliland on 1 July 1960.[12] Following the collapse of Barre's government in early 1991, local authorities, led by the SNM, unilaterally declared independence from Somalia on 18 May of the same year and reinstated the borders of the former short-lived independent State of Somaliland.
East African Federation Kenya Colony
Tanganyika Territory
Uganda Protectorate
Sultanate of Zanzibar
1960–1964 No Proposed political union between the four territories (one colony, two protectorates and one League of Nations mandated territory) under British rule in East Africa in the 1960s. Tanganyika proposed to delay its imminent independence in 1960 so that the four territories might achieve independence together as one federation. In 1963 the leaders of all of the territories (some now independent) pledged to work towards a federation by 1964, but ultimately disputes over the nature of the federation and concerns about sharing power led to the collapse of effort to federate. Only Tanganyika and Zanzibar eventually united in 1964.
 Cameroon  Cameroon

British Cameroon

1961 Partial (Southern Cameroons) In the 1961 British Cameroons referendum, the Christian majority in the south of British Cameroon voted to integrate with Cameroon, whereas the Muslim-majority Northern areas voted to integrate with Nigeria.
 Nigeria  Nigeria

British Cameroon

Partial (Northern Cameroons)
 Republic of India  India

 Portuguese State of India

1961 Yes Annexation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Annexation of Goa
 Republic of India  India

 French Settlements in India

1962 Yes Causes of the merger of the territories of French India with India
Federation of the Emirates of the South  Fadhli

 Audhali

 Beihan

 Dhala

 Lower Yafa

 Upper Aulaqi Sheikhdom

 Alawi

 Aqrabi

 Dathina

 Haushabi

 Lahej

 Lower Aulaqi

 Maflahi

 Shaib

 Wahidi

1962 Yes The Federation of the Emirates of the South (Arabic: اتحاد إمارات الجنوب العربي‎ Ittiḥād ʾImārāt al-Janūb al-ʿArabiyy) was an organization of states within the British Aden Protectorate in what would become South Yemen. The Federation of six states was inaugurated in the British Colony of Aden on 11 February 1959, and the Federation and Britain signed a “Treaty of Friendship and Protection,” which detailed plans for British financial and military assistance. It subsequently added nine states and, on 4 April 1962, became known as the Federation of South Arabia. This was joined by the Aden Colony on 18 January 1963.
 Maphilindo  Indonesia
 Malaya
 Philippines
1963 No Proposals to create a union of the people of the Malay race and deal with the continued decolonisation of Southeast Asia led to leaders of the three countries signing the Manila Accord on 5 August 1963. However, cooperation quickly broke down following the formation of Malaysia by Malaya and other former British colonies in the region, which was opposed by Indonesia and the Philippines.[13]
Malaysia  Federation of Malaya
Crown Colony of North Borneo
Crown Colony of Sarawak
 Republic of Singapore
Also invited:
 Nation of Brunei
1963 Yes Singapore was expelled from the federation on 9 August 1965.
 United Republic of Tanzania  Republic of Tanganyika
People's Republic of Zanzibar
1964 Yes
 Australia  Australia
 Nauru
1964–1965 No In 1963, the Australian Government proposed that the citizens of Nauru, a United Nations trust territory under Australian administration, would move to Curtis Island and become Australian citizens.[14][15] By that time, Nauru had been extensively mined for phosphate by companies from Australia, Britain and New Zealand damaging the landscape so much that it was thought the island would be uninhabitable by the 1990s. The cost of resettling the Nauruans on Curtis Island was estimated to be £10 million, which included housing and infrastructure and the establishment of pastoral, agricultural, and fishing industries.[16] However, the Nauruan people did not wish to become Australian citizens and wanted to be given sovereignty over Curtis Island to establish themselves as an independent nation, which Australia would not agree to.[17] Nauru rejected the proposal to move to Curtis Island, instead choosing to become an independent nation operating their mines in Nauru.[18] Nauru became self-governing in January 1966, and following a two-year constitutional convention, it became independent in 1968 under founding president Hammer DeRoburt.[19]
Territory of the Marianas  Territory of Guam
 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
1969 No 1958 Saipan integration referendum
1961 Northern Mariana Islands status referendum
1963 Northern Mariana Islands integration referendum
1969 Guamanian Northern Mariana Islands union referendum
1969 Northern Mariana Islands status referendum
 United Arab Emirates  Abu Dhabi
Dubai
 Sharjah
 Ajman
Umm al-Qaiwain
Fujairah
 Ras Al Khaimah
Also invited:
Bahrain
Qatar
1971 Yes Six independent emirates formed the United Arab Emirates on 2 December 1971. Ras Al Khaimah later joined the federation.
Federation of Arab Republics  Libya
 Egypt
 Syria
Also invited:
 Iraq
 Sudan
1972–1977 Yes
(1972–1977)
An attempt by Muammar Gaddafi to build a Pan-Arab state.
Arab Islamic Republic  Libya
 Tunisia
1974 No Proposed by Muammar Gaddafi.
 India  India
Sikkim
1975 Yes After independence in 1947, joining the new Indian Union was rejected by popular vote. Sikkim grew closer to India over time, becoming a protectorate and later a suzerainty of India. With Indian pressure and support, Sikkim voted to join India in 1975.[20][21]
Guinea and Cape Verde  Cape Verde
 Guinea-Bissau
1975 No The African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) advocated for the independence of the colonies of Portuguese Guinea and Portuguese Cape Verde, and governed both countries immediately after independence (1974 for Guinea-Bissau, and 1975 for Cape Verde) with the goal of unifying the two. However, following a 1980 coup in Guinea-Bissau, the Cape Verde branch of the party separated to form the African Party for the Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), ending plans for a union.[22]
 Indonesia  Indonesia
Portuguese Timor
1975–1976 Yes
(1976–1999)
Indonesian invasion of East Timor
 Socialist Republic of Vietnam  Democratic Republic of Vietnam
 Republic of Vietnam
1976 Yes Unified due to military conquest. See Reunification Day and the Fall of Saigon.
Senegambia Confederation  The Gambia
 Senegal
1982–1989 Yes
(1982–1989)
A loose confederation was formed, but ended due to the Gambia's lack of interest in integration.
 Republic of Yemen Yemen Arab Republic
People's Democratic Republic of Yemen
1990 Yes Yemeni unification
 Federal Republic of Germany  German Democratic Republic
 Federal Republic of Germany
1990 Yes German reunification
Union of Soviet Sovereign Republics  Russian SFSR
 Ukrainian SSR
 Byelorussian SSR
 Azerbaijan SSR
 Kazakh SSR
 Kirghiz SSR
 Tajik SSR
 Turkmen SSR
 Uzbek SSR
1990–1991 No An attempt by Mikhail Gorbachev to avert the collapse of the Soviet Union and reorganize the union into a new confederated entity (see 1991 Soviet Union referendum).
 FR Yugoslavia  SR Serbia
 Montenegro
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
1991 No Zulfikarpašić–Karadžić agreement
 South Africa  Bophuthatswana
 Ciskei
 South Africa
 Transkei
 Venda
1994 Yes During apartheid, the South African Government granted nominal independence to four autonomous bantustans within it. While no external country recognized these states, South Africa strongly promoted their independence, and the four mutually recognized each other. As South Africa moved to end apartheid, the African National Congress (ANC) party advocated reintegration of all bantustans, including the nominally independent ones, into a unitary South African state. Resistance to integration by leaders of some bantustans led to violence, such as in the Bisho massacre and the Bophuthatswana crisis. Nonetheless, inhabitants of all four independent bantustans participated in the 1994 South African general election, during which a new constitution came into effect which reintegrated all bantustans into South Africa.

21st century

Proposed state Components Time period Successful? Notes
United Republic of Cyprus  Cyprus
 Northern Cyprus
2004 No A referendum was held in Cyprus on 24 April 2004.[23] The two communities were asked whether they approved of the fifth revision of the United Nations proposal for reuniting the island, which had been divided since 1974. While it was approved by 65% of Turkish Cypriots, it was rejected by 76% of Greek Cypriots.[24]
Lucayan Federation  Bahamas
 Turks and Caicos Islands
2010 No The Lucayan Archipelago (named for the original native Lucayan people), also known as the Bahama Archipelago, is an island group comprising the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and the British Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The archipelago is in the western North Atlantic Ocean, north of Cuba along with the other Antilles, and east and southeast of Florida. In 2010 the leaders of The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands discussed the possibility of forming a federation.[25]
Peru–Bolivian Confederation  Bolivia
 Peru
2011 No President Ollanta Humala of Peru proposed Bolivian president Evo Morales to reunite the countries in a confederation.[26][27] The Cabinets of the two countries have held joint meetings.[28]
 Russia  Russia
Crimea
2014 Yes Crimea seceded from Ukraine and later conducted a referendum to join the Russian Federation and was later annexed by Russia. The referendum was extremely controversial and most countries continue to recognize Crimea as part of Ukraine.
 Novorossiya  Donetsk People's Republic
 Luhansk People's Republic
2014 No Novorossiya (Full name: Federal State of Novorossiya) was a proposed confederation between the two self-declared nations of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic. The Confederation was declared on 22 May 2014. On 20 May 2015 the constituent members announced the freezing of the Novorossiya project.
Malorossiya  Donetsk People's Republic
 Ukraine
2017 No On 18 July 2017 the Donetsk People's Republic announced a new project which included all of Ukraine, though with the name changed to "Malorossiya" (Little Russia). The Luhansk People's Republic stated, however, that they would not be involved in the project. The project was widely condemned by other nations, including Russia, who pointed to the Minsk II protocol.

Current proposals

Proposed state Component states First proposed Notes
 United States  Greenland
 United States
1867 The idea for the United States to buy Greenland was first proposed during the administration of President Andrew Johnson, when, in 1867, Secretary of State William H. Seward unsuccessfully proposed buying Greenland and Iceland from the Danish Kingdom. A post-World War II bid was also declined by Denmark.[29] In 2018 and 2019, President Donald Trump spoke to aides about acquiring the island; Greenlandic and Danish officials firmly rebuffed the suggestion that the island could be sold.[30][31]
 Canada  Canada
 Turks and Caicos Islands
1917 The proposed Canadian annexation of the Turks and Caicos Islands has been an ongoing political discussion between the two nations since Canadian Prime Minister Robert Borden first supported the idea in 1917.[32]
Unified China  People's Republic of China
 Republic of China
1949 Unification of the territories of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China is the nominal goal of both governments, which both operate under the One-China policy.[33][34][35] However, within the free area of the Republic of China, there is a sizeable movement to formally declare a Taiwanese state, led by the Democratic Progressive Party,[36] which is currently in government.
Reunified India  Bangladesh
 India
 Pakistan
1953 Since the Partition of India, there have been multiple calls to reunite the territories by the remerger of successor states.[37]
Unified Korea  North Korea
 South Korea
1953 Korean reunification has been a goal for both Koreas since the 1953 armistice agreement. However, proposed strategies vary between the two Koreas, with both proposing unification under one sociopolitical system while abandoning the other, similar to German reunification.[38]
Romania  Moldova
 Romania
1991 Due to the revolutions of the Russian Empire, Bessarabia Governorate declared secession in 1917 as the Moldavian Democratic Republic and united unconditionally with the Kingdom of Romania in 1918, before the Soviet occupation in 1940. After Moldova gained independence following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, unification with Romania has been proposed which is supported by the Moldovan minorities according to polls and the Romanian Government. In 2018, Moldovan PM Pavel Filip ruled out reunification with Romania, despite growing calls from Moldovans for unification.[39] See also Greater Romania.
Union State  Belarus
 Russia
1999 Belarus and Russia signed an agreement to form the Union State in 1999, aiming to continue deeper integration, possibly until unification.[40][41]
 East African Federation  Burundi
 Kenya
 Rwanda
 South Sudan
 Tanzania
 Uganda
2004 Proposed political union between the six member states of the East African Community.[42] Federation was proposed in 2004, but in 2016 it was decided that confederation would be the short-term goal. South Sudan is not as integrated as the other five members, having only gained independence from Sudan in 2011.[43]
Greater Albania  Albania
 Kosovo
2008 Since Kosovo's Independence from Serbia talks have been made for Albania and Kosovo to unite into a Greater Albania due to Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanian population.[44][45][46]
Central American reunification  Costa Rica
 El Salvador
 Guatemala
 Honduras
 Nicaragua
 Panama
2018 Although several historical efforts to reunite the countries that belonged to the United Provinces of Central America and later Federal Republic of Central America into one sigle state, the first major political figure to suggest it and the first time including Panama was that of then nominee later President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele.[47][48][49]

See also

References

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