secession
/sɪˈsɛʃ(ə)n
/noun [mass noun]
1The action of withdrawing formally from membership of a federation or body, especially a political state: the republics want secession from the union...
- Every Indian leader has feared that if Kashmir breaks away then it could set off other movements for secession from the Indian state.
- They are likely to fear that federalism might lead to secession.
- Thus some nationalism has involved movements that aim to break up existing states, through secession or fragmentation of various forms.
Synonyms
withdrawal, break, breakaway, separation, severance, schism, apostasy, leaving, quitting, split, splitting, disaffiliation, resignation, pulling out, dropping out, desertion, defection
1.1 (the Secession) historical The withdrawal of eleven Southern states from the US Union in 1860, leading to the Civil War.
1.2 (the Secession) variant of Sezession.
Derivatives
secessional
- As the historian Bertram Wyatt-Brown has pointed out, slavery provoked the secessional crisis, but ‘southern honor pulled the trigger.’
secessionism
- In 1971, Pakistan lost 55 per cent of its population to East Bengali secessionism, which produced the People's Republic of Bangladesh.
- Nullification, the prelude principle to secessionism, was put forth by Jefferson, the grandfather to neoliberals.
- A settlement must be based on both the realities secession is ruled out, but secessionism exists.
Origin
Mid 16th century (denoting the withdrawal of plebeians from ancient Rome in order to compel the patricians to redress their grievances): from French sécession or Latin secessio(n-), from secedere 'go apart' (see secede).