Secede for Independence
Countries rise, and countries fall. Nobody assumes that the world map of the future will look like our modern map. Succession and unification movements exist all over the world, providing various possibilities for future countries.
10 Divided Belgium
When most people think of countries splitting up, they probably do not think of Belgium. However, Belgium is already divided between cultures, with French-speaking people in the southern Wallonia region and Flemish-speaking people in the northern Flanders region. In 1993, the Belgian government gave increased autonomy to the Flemish people. As their region became more autonomous, some Flemish politicians began to advocate splitting from Belgium and forming a new country.Catalonia is a region of Spain that has been given increased autonomy over the years, especially after the death of General Francisco Franco in 1975. The Catalans are different from the Spaniards in that they speak a different language, have different cultural traditions, and have a history independent of Spain. Centered around the city of Barcelona, the Catalans have pushed hard for independence over the past few years.
The Catalan region of Spain is a powerhouse in the nation’s economy. Although it only accounts for 16 percent of the Spanish population, Catalonia contributes 19 percent of the Spanish GDP. The region also gives more money to Madrid in taxes than it gets back, with most Catalans believing that Spain underfunds their infrastructure compared to the rest of the country.
Arguments for Catalonian independence are strong. In October 2015, Catalonia elected representatives dedicated to putting their region on the path to independence. As Catalonia has one of the oldest parliaments in the world and Catalan is the ninth most spoken language in the European Union, the region already acts like a country.
The Spanish government will not let Catalonia break away, stating that they will use any political powers necessary to keep Spain together. To test the feasibility of breaking away from their mother country, secessionist leaders hope to hold a referendum soon that is modeled after Scotland’s referendum.
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