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Aclient state, in the context ofinternational relations, is an umbrella term that broadly refers to anystate economically, politically, and militarily subordinated to a more powerfulcontrolling state. It typically describes abilateral relationship that is mutually beneficial, characterized by different but shared obligations.[1]
Variants[2] of aclient state areassociated state,dominion,condominium,self-governing colony,neo-colony,protectorate,puppet state,satellite state,vassal state andtributary state.
Ancient states such asPersia,Parthia,Greek city-states,Ancient China, andAncient Rome sometimes created client states by making the leaders of that state subservient, having to providetribute and soldiers.Classical Athens, for example, forced weaker states into theDelian League and in some cases imposed democratic governments on them. Later,Philip II of Macedon similarly imposed theLeague of Corinth. One of the most prolific users of client states wasRepublican Rome[3][4] which, instead of conquering and then absorbing into an empire, chose to makeclient states out of those it defeated (e.g.Demetrius of Pharos), a policy which was continued up until the 1st century BCE when it became theRoman Empire. Sometimes the client was not a former enemy but apretender whom Rome helped,Herod the Great being a well-known example. The use of client states continued through theMiddle Ages as thefeudal system began to take hold.[citation needed]
The number of tributary or vassal states varied over time but most notable were theKhanate of Crimea,Wallachia,Moldavia,Transylvania, theWestern Georgian principalities, theSharifate of Mecca, and theSultanate of Aceh.[citation needed]
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It is often said that, prior to thePartitions of Poland, during the reigns ofAugustus II andAugustus III,Poland-Lithuania was essentially a client state of Russia, since both kings were elected with strong Russian (and to a lesser extent Habsburg Austrian) backing against French- and Swedish-influencedStanislaw I, later staying in power with extensive Russian support.[5][6]
Austria-Hungary tried to makeSerbia a client state in order to form aChristian opposition to theOttoman Empire, but after the 1903May Coup, Serbia came under the influence ofRussia, which was forming a pan-Eastern Orthodox opposition to the Latin Christianity represented by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In 1914, Russia repeatedly warned Austria-Hungary against attacking Serbia. When it did attack, Russia mobilised its army.[7][8][9] Russia also wantedBulgaria[10] andMontenegro[11] as client states, although Bulgaria joined the war on the side of Austria-Hungary.
At the time,Great Britain and Austria-Hungary both considered Serbia as a client state controlled by Russia.[12]
During theRevolutionary andNapoleonic eras (1789–1815), France conquered most ofwestern Europe and established several client states.
At first, during theFrench Revolutionary Wars, these states were erected as "Républiques sœurs" ("sister republics"). They were established in Italy (theCisalpine Republic inNorthern Italy and theParthenopean Republic inSouthern Italy), Greece (Îles Ioniennes), Switzerland (theHelvetic Republic and theRhodanic Republic), and Belgium and the Netherlands (Batavian Republic).
During theFirst French Empire, whileNapoleon I and theFrench Army occupied much ofEurope, such states changed, and several new states were formed. The Italian republics were transformed into theKingdom of Italy under Napoleon's direct rule in the north, and theKingdom of Naples in the south, first underJoseph Bonaparte and later underMarshalJoachim Murat. A third state was created in the Italian Peninsula, theKingdom of Etruria. The Batavian Republic was replaced by theKingdom of Holland, ruled by Napoleon's third brother,Louis Bonaparte.
A total of 35 German states, all of them allies of France, seceded from theHoly Roman Empire to create theConfederation of the Rhine, a client state created to provide a buffer between France and its two largest enemies to the east,Prussia andAustria. Two of those states were Napoleonic creations: theKingdom of Westphalia, which was controlled byJérôme Bonaparte, the Emperor's youngest brother; and theGrand Duchy of Würzburg as was Poland, then theDuchy of Warsaw.
During theFrench invasion of the Iberian Peninsula, Napoleon attempted to subjugate Portugal and Spain into a clientKingdom of Spain, but the French were eventually driven out of Iberia in a costly war.
In the 20th century, France exercised a sphere of influence, orFrançafrique over itsformer African colonies,[13][14] and to some degree former Belgian colonies in Africa (which were also French-speaking). The term is sometimes used pejoratively, to characterise the relationship with France as neocolonial. The former colonies provide oil and minerals important to theFrench economy, and in some, French companies have commercial interests.
TheIndian princely states were nominally sovereign entities in theBritish Empire and in 1947, were given a choice to either accede to independentIndia orPakistan or get independence (theNizam of Hyderabad did opt for independence but his kingdom wasannexed by Indian forces in 1948).Egyptian independence in 1922 ended its brief status as a British protectorate andIraq was made a kingdom in 1932. But in both cases, the economic and military reality did not amount to full independence, but a status where the local rulers were British clients. Other instances include Africa (e.g. Northern Nigeria underLord Lugard), and theUnfederated Malay States; the policy ofindirect rule.
Kingdom of Poland[15] (1917–1918)
Kingdom of Lithuania (1918)
Ukrainian State[16] (1918)
Belarusian Democratic Republic[17] (1918).svg)
Duchy of Courland and Semigallia[18] (1918)
United Baltic Duchy[19] (1918)
Democratic Republic of Georgia[20] (1918)
Slovak Republic (1939–1945)
Vichy France (1940–1944)
Independent State of Croatia (1941–1945)
Albanian Kingdom (1943–1944)
The term has also been applied to states which are extremely economically dependent on a more powerful nation. The three Pacific Ocean countries associated with the United States under theCompact of Free Association (theFederated States of Micronesia, theMarshall Islands, andPalau) have been called client states.[21][22][23]
China (1945–1949) →Taiwan (1949–1979)
Khmer Republic (1970–1975)
Philippines (1965–1986)
South Korea (1948–1953)
South Vietnam (1954–1975)
Thailand (1949–1976)
In the late 19th century, theEmpire of Japan gradually reducedJoseon Korea's status to that of a client state. In the early 20th century, this was converted todirect rule.Manchukuo, in contrast, remained apuppet state throughout World War II.
Azad Hind (1943–1945)
State of Burma (1943–1945)
Kingdom of Kampuchea (1945)
Great Way Government (1937–1938)
Provisional Government of the Republic of China (1937–1940)
Reorganised National Government of the Republic of China (1940–1945)
Joseon (After theFirst Sino-Japanese War)[25]
Korean Empire[26][27][unreliable source] (1905–1910)
Kingdom of Luang Phrabang (1945)
Manchukuo (1932–1945)
Mengjiang (1939–1945)
Second Philippine Republic (1943–1945)
Empire of Vietnam (1945)In 1915, the Japanese government published theTwenty-One Demands, whose last seven demands of Section 5 would've transformed the Chinese economy and government so much that China would've essentially become a client state of Japan.[28] During World War II,Macau was left unoccupied by the Japanese military, unlike neighboringHong Kong or fellow Portuguese colonyTimor, yet Japanese civilian advisors were forcefully installed to patrol the city instead, thus turning it into ade facto Japanese protectorate.[29]
Soviet proxy,"satellite", or client states included much of theWarsaw Pact member states whose policies were heavily influenced by Soviet military power and economic aid. Other nations withMarxist–Leninist governments were routinely criticised as being Soviet proxies as well, among themCuba following theCuban Revolution, theChinese Soviet Republic,North Korea,[30]North Vietnam, theSocialist Republic of Vietnam,South Yemen, thePeople's Republic of Angola, thePeople's Republic of Mozambique, and theDemocratic Republic of Afghanistan. Within theSoviet Union itself, theUkrainian SSR and theByelorussian SSR, had seats at theUnited Nations, but were actually proper Soviet territory.
Later an alternative proposal was advanced for a United Baltic Duchy underDuke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg