A political union is a type of
political entity which is composed of, or created from, smaller politics or the process which achieves this. These
smaller polities are usually called
federated states and
federal territories in a
federal government; they are called
prefectures,
regions, or
provinces in the case of a
centralised government. This form of government may be created through voluntary and mutual
cession and is described as ''unionism'' by its constituent members and proponents. In other cases, it may arise from
political unification, characterised by
coercion and
conquest. The unification of separate states which, in the past, had together constituted a single entity is known as ''reunification''. Unlike a
personal union
A personal union is a combination of two or more monarchical states that have the same monarch while their boundaries, laws, and interests remain distinct. A real union, by contrast, involves the constituent states being to some extent in ...
or
real union, the individual
constituent entities may have
devolution of powers but are subordinate to a
central government or coordinated in some sort of organization. In a federalised system, the constituent entities usually have
internal autonomy, for example in the setup of
police departments, and
share power with the federal government, for whom external
sovereignty,
military forces, and
foreign affairs are usually reserved. The union is
recognised internationally as a single political entity. A political union may also be called a legislative union or state union.
A union may be effected in many forms, broadly categorized as:
* Incorporating union
* Incorporating
annexation
*
Federal union
* Federative annexation
* Mixed unions
Incorporating union
In an incorporating union a new state is created, the former states being entirely dissolved into the new state (although some aspects may be preserved;
see below).
''Incorporating unions'' have been present throughout much of history, such as when:
* The
Union of Lublin between the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the
Kingdom of Poland led to the creation of a
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, an elective monarchy where the
Polish nobility elected the
monarch
A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest ...
;
* the
Acts of Union (1707), between the
Kingdom of Scotland and the
Kingdom of England created the
Kingdom of Great Britain;
* in 1910 the colonies of the
Cape of Good Hope,
Natal,
Orange River Colony, and
Transvaal were incorporated into the
Union of South Africa;
* After the accession of the Bourbon dynasty to the throne of the
Spanish Monarchy, they began to replace the system of personal union of the Crown of
Castile, the states of the
Crown of Aragon, and the
Kingdom of Navarre into the unitary Kingdom of Spain, though the process did not became effective until the end of the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1715), in which the
Nueva Planta decrees of 1707 (kingdoms of
Aragon and
Valencia), 1715 (
Kingdom of Majorca) and 1716 (
Principality of Catalonia) abolished their respective legal jurisdictions, institutions and public laws, which were replaced by those of Castile. However, Navarre retained its political existence until the
1833 territorial division of Spain;
* the
Acts of Union 1800 united the
Kingdom of Ireland and the
Kingdom of Great Britain into the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
;
* in 1990 the
People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen) united with the
Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) to form the
Republic of Yemen;
* and in 1783 the
Articles of Confederation were signed by each of the
Thirteen Colonies, uniting them into the
United States of America.
Preservation of interests
Nevertheless, a full incorporating union may preserve the laws and institutions of the former states, as happened in the creation of the United Kingdom. This may be simply a matter of practice or to comply with a guarantee given in the terms of the union. These guarantees may be to ensure the success of a proposed union (or in the least to prevent continuing resistance), as occurred in the union of
Brittany and
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
in 1532 (
Union of Brittany and France) in which a guarantee was given for the continuance of laws and of the
Estates of Brittany (a guarantee revoked in 1789 at the
French Revolution). The assurance that institutions are preserved in a union of states can also occur as states realize that, whilst a power imbalance exists (such as between the economic conditions of Scotland and England prior to the
Acts of Union 1707), it is not so great that it precludes the possibility for concessions to be made. The
Treaty of Union for creating the unified
Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 contained a guarantee of the continuance of the civil laws and the existing courts in Scotland (a continuing guarantee), which was significant for both parties. The Scottish, despite economic troubles during the
Seven Ill Years preceding the union, still retained power to negotiate.
This marks a delineation of states that are able to ensure preservation of interests: there has to be some mutually beneficial reasoning behind the formal or informal preservation of interests. In the
Union creating the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801, no such guarantee was given for the laws and courts of the
Kingdom of Ireland, though they were continued as a matter of practice. The informal recognition of such interests represents the different circumstances of the two Unions, the small base of institutional power in Ireland at the time (those who were the beneficiaries of the
Protestant Ascendancy) had faced a revolution in the
Irish Rebellion of 1798, and as a result there was an institutional drive toward unification, limiting the Irish negotiating power. However, informal guarantees were given to preclude the possibility of further Irish unrest in the period following the
French Revolution of 1789 and the 1798 rebellion. These types of informal arrangements are more susceptible to changes; for example,
Tyrol was guaranteed that its Freischütz companies would not be posted to fight outside Tyrol without their consent, a guarantee later revoked by the Austrian state. However, this case can be contrasted with the continued existence of the
Scottish Parliament and a separate body of
Scottish law distinct from
English law
English law is the common law list of national legal systems, legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly English criminal law, criminal law and Civil law (common law), civil law, each branch having its own Courts of England and Wales, ...
.
Incorporating annexation
In an incorporating annexation a state or states is united to and dissolved in an existing state, whose legal existence continues.
Annexation may be voluntary or, more frequently, by conquest.
''Incorporating annexations'' have occurred at various points in history, such as when:
* in 1535 and 1542, under the two
Laws in Wales Acts, the
Kingdom of England formally annexed the
Principality of Wales;
* in 1822 the
Republic of Spanish Haiti was annexed by the
Republic of Haiti;
* the
Kingdom of Prussia used incorporating annexation to
unite many of the
German Princes during the
Second Schleswig War, the
Austro-Prussian War, and the
Franco-Prussian War;
* the
Kingdom of Sardinia annexed many of the Duchies and City-states in Italy during the period of
Italian unification;
* in 1918, during the
Podgorica Assembly, the
Kingdom of Serbia annexed the
Kingdom of Montenegro;
* the
People's Republic of China annexed
Tibet (1951),
East Turkestan (Xinjiang) (1949),
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
(1997), and
Macau
Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...
(1999).
Federal annexation
Federal annexation occurs when a unitary state becomes a federated unit of another existing state, the former continuing its legal existence. The new federated state thus ceases to be a state in international law but retains its legal existence in domestic law, subsidiary to the federal authority.
Prominent historical ''federal annexations'' include:
*
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
's annexations of
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
in 1871,
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...
in 1873, and the
Dominion of Newfoundland in 1949;
*
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...
's annexation of
Eritrea from 1951 to 1993;
* the admission of
Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
to the
Swiss Confederation in 1815;
*
West Germany's annexation of
Saarland in 1957;
* the
United States of America's annexations and subsequent granting of statehood to the
Vermont Republic (1791),
Republic of Texas (1846), and
California Republic (1848);
* and
the 2014 annexations of the
Crimea and the city of
Sevastopol by the
Russian Federation (albeit
viewed as illegal or otherwise given
varying degrees of recognition by the international community).
Mixed unions
The unification of Italy involved a mixture of unions. The kingdom consolidated around the
Kingdom of Sardinia, with which several states voluntarily united to form the
Kingdom of Italy. Others polities, such as the
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and the
Papal States, were conquered and annexed. Formally, the union in each territory was sanctioned by a popular referendum where people were formally asked if they agreed to have as their new ruler
Vittorio Emanuele II of Sardinia and his legitimate heirs.
The unification of Germany began in earnest when the
Kingdom of Prussia annexed numerous petty states in 1866.
Historical unions
*
Unification of Nepal starting from 1744 A.D.
*
Union of Moldavia and Wallachia, leading to the apparition of modern
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
, in 1859
*
Bulgarian unification in 1885, after the
1396 Ottoman conquest.
*
Great Union of Romania in 1918
**
Unification of Bessarabia with Romania in 1918
**
Union of Bukovina with Romania in 1918
**
Union of Transylvania with Romania
The union of Transylvania with Romania was declared on by the assembly of the delegates of ethnic Romanians held in Alba Iulia. The Great Union Day (also called ''Unification Day''), celebrated on 1 December, is a Public holidays in Romani ...
in 1918
*
Creation of Yugoslavia in 1918
*
Ukrainian unification in 1919
*
Chinese reunification (1928) or "Northeast Flag Replacement" proclaimed the victory of the Guangzhou/Nanjing government led by the
Kuomintang over the
Beiyang government after the
1912 division.
*
German reunification after the
Peaceful Revolution (East Germany) 1989–90 on 3 October 1990, divided into
West Germany and
East Germany since the
Potsdam Agreement on 1 August 1945.
**
German unification in 1866–71; what became
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
(1871–1918) was heavily fragmented by feudalism and
partible inheritance (
Salic patrimony) during the Middle Ages but remained united under the overlordship of
East Francia/the
Kingdom of Germany and the
Holy Roman Empire. However, the states grew steadily more ''de facto'' independent through the early modern era as imperial power waned. Finally, the Empire was dissolved in 1806 during the
Napoleonic Wars, and the German states became fully sovereign and were only united (between 1815 and 1866) by the non-sovereign
German Confederation.
**
Anschluss (1938
Nazi reunification of "
Lesser Germany" and
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
into "
Greater Germany")
*
Italian unification 1815–71,
divided since its partition into the
Lombard Kingdom (itself divided between
Langobardia Major and
Langobardia Minor) and the
Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna in 568, Italy was further divided since
Charlemagne's conquest of Langobardia Major and
Spoleto in 774 and the subsequent fragmentation due to
feudalism.
*
Polish reunification in 1918–22,
divided since 24 October 1795 save for a brief revival as the
Duchy of Warsaw (1807–15) during the
Napoleonic wars.
*
Vietnamese reunification after the
Vietnam War (1955–1975) in 1976, divided into
South and
North Vietnam since 1954.
*
Tanganyika United with Zanzibar in 1964 to form Tanzania from 26 April 1964 to date.
*
Yemeni unification in 1990,
divided since the North Yemeni independence from Ottoman Empire in November 1918.
*
Union State of Russia and Belarus from 1999
Supranational and continental unions
In addition to regional movements,
supranational and
continental unions that promote progressive integration between its members started appearing in the second half of the 20th century, first by the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
(EU). Other examples of such unions include the
ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum, and the
Pacific Islands Forum.
Academic analysis
The political position of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
is often discussed, as well as former states like
Serbia and Montenegro (2003–2006), the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
(1922–1991) and the
United Arab Republic (1958–1961).
Lord Durham was widely regarded as one of the most important thinkers in the history of the
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...
's constitutional evolution. He articulated the difference between a full legislative union and a
federation. In his
1839 ''Report'', in discussing the proposed union of
Upper and Lower Canada, he says:
Two kinds of union have been proposed – federal and legislative. By the first, the separate legislature of each province would be preserved in its present form and retain almost all its present attributes of internal legislation, the federal legislature exercising no power save in those matters which may have been expressly ceded to it by the constituent provinces. A legislative union would imply a complete incorporation of the provinces included in it under one legislature, exercising universal and sole legislative authority over all of them in exactly the same manner as the Parliament legislates alone for the whole of the British Isles.
However, unification is not merely voluntary. It requires a balance of power between two or more states, which can create an equal monetary, economic, social and cultural environment. Those states that are eligible to unify must also agree to a transition from anarchy, where there is no sovereignty above the state level, to hierarchy.
States can decide to enter a voluntary union as a solution for existing problems and to face possible threats, such as environmental threats for instance. The task of triggering a political crisis and to get the attention of the citizens toward the unification's necessity is in the hands of the elites. It rarely succeeds (with exceptions such as the
Old Swiss Confederacy and the
confederation of the United States), and at times even leads to a forced unification (Italy, USSR), where the unified states are deeply unequal.
From a realist perspective, small states can unify in order to face strong states or to conquer weak ones. One of the reasons to seek unification to a stronger state besides a common threat can be a situation of negligence or ignorance on behalf of the weak state.
According to a 1975 study by
University of Rochester political scientist
William Riker, unions were motivated by security threats. However, in contrast to Riker
Ryan Griffiths Syracuse Universitypolitical scientist, published a paper in 2010 in which he analyzed voluntary political unifications from 1816-2001 and found that while unifications have occurred without security threats, they have not taken place in the absence of a common language.
See also
*
Confederation
*
Federation
*
Irredentism
*
List of proposed state mergers
*
Real union
*
Secession
*
Union (disambiguation)
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** Union (U ...
*
Notes
References
Further reading
* Alberto Alesina and Enrico Spolaore. 2003. ''The Size of Nations''. MIT Press.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Political Union
Federalism