successionalisme

Successionalisme is a political doctrine or scholarly label describing efforts or arrangements in which a population or region seeks to replace an existing sovereign state with a successor state that inherits the predecessor’s legal personality, rights, and obligations. The term draws on the concept of state succession in international law, wherein a new state takes over the treaties, debts, assets, and memberships of a prior state following dissolution, unification, or cession.

In practice, successionism is closely related to secession and self-determination but emphasizes the continuity of the legal order through a successor state rather than a simple declaration of independence. Proponents argue that this model provides a stable framework for international recognition and treaty continuity; critics note that, in reality, successor status depends on negotiations, recognition, and political realities.

Contexts where successionism has been discussed include multinational states that dissolved or reorganized their constitutional structure (for example, the breakups of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, and the peaceful split of Czechoslovakia) and debates about which political community would be the legitimate successor to a historic state. In some cases, regional movements or constitutional scholars debate whether a region could or should claim successor-state status instead of unilateral secession.

See also: state succession (international law); secession; self-determination; independence movements.