Involving the withdrawal of a group from a larger political entity, secession is the ultimate objective of separatist movements. Seeking to untangle themselves from the wider polity, often perceived as oppression or restrictive to an intolerable degree, these smaller organizations seek to obtain self-determination and self-government. Whilst some of these movements achieve their ultimate objectives – most notably the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolution – many are short-lived, facing insurmountable odds, and are consequently forcible reabsorbed by their larger counterparts.
Here are 20 separatists movements throughout history that, successful or otherwise, had a profound impact upon their nations and the wider world: