
An irredenta is a term given to an area that may be potentially claimed. Irredentism is associated with secessionism, but the two concepts are distinct. Merging does not take place in secessionism, whereas irredentism involves the separation of a territory from a state and its subsequent inclusion into an existing state.
What is irredentism in history?
Irredentism is a political and popular movement in which its members claim, reclaim (usually on behalf of their nation), and seek to occupy territory which they consider "lost" (or "unredeemed"), based on history or legend.
What is North Korea’s irredentism?
What is Irredentism? North Korea and South Korea both oppose the legitimacy of the other state. The term irredentism refers to any political or mass movement intended to claim a territory on national, historical, or ethnic grounds.
What is the difference between irredentism and secession?
•Irredentism is a foreign policy in which a state advocates acquisition of foreign territory that either (1) was formerly part of the state, or (2) is the homeland of ethnic kinsmen. •Secession is a policy or action by which a people (nation) and their homeland withdraw from a State to become independent.
What is the difference between devolution and irredentism?
•Devolution is a process by which a state grants increased autonomy (local rule) to a nation, perhaps to counter a secessionist movement. Irredentism •A foreign policy by which a State seeks to acquire foreign land in order to territorially unify a nation.

What is irredentist?
irredentist in British English (ˌɪrɪˈdɛntɪst ) noun. 1. a person who favours the acquisition of territory that once was part of his or her country or is considered to have been. adjective.
Is Kosovo an example of irredentism?
Irredentism in Europe The phrase includes claims to Kosovo and parts of the Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, and Greece. A 2010 report by the Gallup Balkan Monitor asserts that 63% of Albanians in Albania support the concept as well as 81% and 53% of the populations of Kosovo and Macedonia respectively.
What is irredentist nationalism?
Irredentism is a crucial yet understudied phenomenon of nationalism. It is the belief that part of the nation finds itself outside the state borders and needs to be not only “freed,” but “redeemed” from foreign influence.
What is irredentism and example?
Notable examples of irredentism include Nazi Germany's claims on the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia; the “Megali Idea” that sought to create a Greater Greece; China's desire to reincorporate the territories lost during periods of historical weakness; Somalia's invasion of Ethiopia during the Ogaden War of 1977–78; the ...
Is Israel an example of irredentism?
Israel. Greater Israel is an expression that has held several different biblical and political meanings over time. It is often used, in an irredentist fashion, to refer to the historic or desired borders of Israel.
How do you use irredentism in a sentence?
They are concerned about the possible irredentism of the minority in their midst. His program was full of irredentism and ultra-nationalism. He also warned against continued irredentism - advocating the acquisition of territory considered to have been German.
How is Crimea an example of irredentism?
The annexation of Crimea is described as an example of irredentist policy. Russian irredentists seek to annex parts of the "near abroad", such as the Baltic states, with the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine described as a continuation of irredentist claims.
Who is the founder of Italian irredentism?
The Corsican revolutionary Pasquale Paoli was called "the precursor of Italian irredentism" by Niccolò Tommaseo because he was the first to promote the Italian language and socio-culture (the main characteristics of Italian irredentism) in his island; Paoli wanted the Italian language to be the official language of the ...
What is irredentism in South Korea?
The term irredentism refers to any political or mass movement intended to claim a territory on national, historical, or ethnic grounds. The word's origin lies in the Italian term irredento which means unredeemed, and it initially denoted an Italian ...
What is the Greater Iran?
This ideology is commonly used in association with the concept of creating a Greater Iran which denotes the regions of Central Asia, West Asia, and the Caucasus, as well as those parts of South Asia with substantial Iranian cultural influence.
What is the idea of Greater Albania?
Greater Albania is an irredentist idea of territories outside Albania's borders which most Albanians consider to be part of a larger national homeland. This concept is referred to as Ethnic Albania by Albanian nationalists, and it is founded on claims of the historical or present-day presence of Albanian communities in ...
Why are secessionist conflicts more often than not advanced by minority groups?
Secessionist conflicts are more often than not advanced by minority groups who because of their marginalization may lack sufficient military resources. Irredentism conflicts, on the other hand, are championed by sovereign states who boast the kind of military strength required to participate in full-scale wars.
Is irredentism more violent than secessionism?
Research on the two concepts suggests that irredentism is more likely to turn violent than secessionism. Secessionist conflicts are more often than not advanced by minority groups who because of their marginalization may lack sufficient military resources. Irredentism conflicts, on the other hand, are championed by sovereign states who boast the kind of military strength required to participate in full-scale wars.
Why is irredentism common in Africa?
Irredentism is commonplace in Africa due to the political boundaries of former European colonial nation-states passing through ethnic boundaries, and recent declarations of independence after civil war. For example, some Ethiopian nationalist circles still claim the former Ethiopian province of Eritrea (internationally recognized as the independent State of Eritrea in 1993 after a 30-year civil war).
What is an irredentist?
Irredentism is a political and popular movement in which its members claim, reclaim (usually on behalf of their nation ), and seek to occupy territory which they consider "lost" (or "unredeemed"), based on history or legend. The scope of this definition is occasionally subject to terminological disputes about underlying claims of expansionism, ...
What are some examples of irredentism in North Africa?
In North Africa, the prime examples of irredentism are the concepts of Greater Morocco and Greater Mauritania. While Mauritania has since relinquished any claims to territories outside its internationally recognized borders, Morocco continues to claim Western Sahara, which it refers to as its " Southern Provinces ".
What is the political movement for claiming territory considered lost?
An 1887 painting depicting schoolchildren in France being taught about the province of Alsace-Lorraine, lost in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War, which is depicted by black coloring on a map of France. Irredentism is a political and popular movement in which its members claim, ...
What is the difference between revanchism and irredentism?
This term also often refers to Revanchism but the difference between this two terms is, according to Merriam-Webster, the word "Irredentism" means the reunion of politically or ethnically displaced territory, along with a population having the same national identity.
What was the Bolivian irredentism?
Bolivia. Bolivian irredentism over losses in the War of the Pacific (1879–1884): "What once was ours, will be ours once again", and "Hold on rotos (Chileans), because here come the Colorados of Bolivia". Further information: Atacama border dispute.
How to express a claim to adjacent territories?
A common way to express a claim to adjacent territories on the grounds of historical or ethnic association is by using the adjective "Greater" as a prefix to the country name . This conveys the image of national territory at its maximum conceivable extent with the country "proper" at its core.
What is the study of the effects of economic geography on the powers of the state?
the study of the effects of economic geography on the powers of the state. Geopolitical Theory (aka Organic Theory, Ratzel's Theory) The view that states resemble biological organisms with life cycles that include all stages of life. Geometric political boundary.
What is a political boundary?
Geometric political boundary. A political border drawn in a regular, geometric manner, often a straight line, without regard for environmental or cultural patterns. Gerrymander. to divide (a geographic area) into voting districts so as to give unfair advantage to one party in elections.
What are the parts of the world that are available to everyone but for which no individual has responsibility?
those parts of our environment available to everyone but for which no single individual has responsibility--the atmosphere, fresh water, forests, wildlife, and ocean fisheries. Immigrant states. States with alot of immigrants.
What is the term for a state that possesses a roughly circular, oval, or rectangular territory in which the
Colonialism. exploitation by a stronger country of weaker one. Compact state. a state that possesses a roughly circular, oval, or rectangular territory in which the distance from the geometric center is relatively equal in all directions. Confederation. the act of forming an alliance or confederation.
What is the United Nations?
United Nations (UN) an organization of independent states formed in 1945 to promote international peace and security. Warsaw Pact. treaty signed in 1945 that formed an alliance of the Eastern European countries behind the Iron Curtain; USSR, Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania.

Irredentism Versus Secessionism
Formal Irredentism
- Some countries give their irredentist declarations formal recognition by adding them to constitutional documents or any other laws. An example of this situation is Afghanistan's claim of the Durand Line. This territory marks the border between the State and Pakistan and it was decided by British Indian and Afghanistan in 1893. The Pashtun communities residing in the terri…
Irredentism in Europe
- Greater Albania is an irredentist idea of territories outside Albania's borders which most Albanians consider to be part of a larger national homeland. This concept is referred to as Ethnic Albania by Albanian nationalists, and it is founded on claims of the historical or present-day presence of Albanian communities in the regions. The phrase includes claims to Kosovo and parts of the Re…
Irredentism in Asia
- The Pan-Iranism ideology, developed in the 1920s, champions for the reunification of all Iranian communities residing in the Iranian plateau in addition to other territories which have adequate Iranian cultural influence such as the Kurds, Azerbaijanis, Persians, and Ossetians; the Baloch and Pashtuns of Pakistan; and the Tajiks of Afghanistan and Tajikistan. This ideology is commonly u…
Irredentism in Africa
- Irredentism in Africa is well illustrated in Somalia. Greater Somalia describes a territory in the Horn of Africa where ethnic Somalis currently reside or have historically inhabited. This territory extends from the Republic of Somalia to the Ogaden region situated in Ethiopia, to the Kenyan North Eastern Province, and eastern and southern Djibouti. These claims triggered the Ogaden …