Puppet state

A puppet state is a country that is officially independent, but not in practice. Puppet governments are usually kept in power by military force provided by an occupying country. Puppet state is a biased term. It is used to denigrate the government of the alleged puppet state.

Puppet states in history

Examples of puppet states before World War II are:

• Far Eastern Republic (puppet of the Soviet Union).
• Kingdom of Holland (France)
• Kingdom of Poland (Russia)
• Panama (United States)
• Grand Duchy of Warsaw (France)

World War II

In World War II the Axis countries created some puppet states, like:

• Croatia
• Manchukuo
• Norway
• Slovakia
• Vichy France

After Italy surrendered in World War II the Italian Social Republic was a puppet state created by Germany.

Cold War

During the Cold War some Eastern European countries were puppet states of the Soviet Union:

• Bulgaria
• Czechoslovakia
• East Germany
• Hungary
• Romania
• Poland

In some of these countries the people overthrew the government, but each time they did that (before 1989) the Soviet Union and some of its other puppet states invaded and put the old government back in power. The Soviet Union had also some puppet states outside Europe, such as Mongolia. Some of these countries had more independence from the Soviet Union. For example, the Romanian government sided against the Soviets when they went into Czechoslovakia.

The United States also had a some puppet states during the Cold War:

• Cuba before 1959
• Guatemala
• South Korea
• Iran under the Shah
• South Vietnam

Now

There are several countries that may be called puppet states now:

• North Cyprus (puppet state Turkey)
• Abkhazia (puppet state of Russia)
• South Ossetia (puppet state of Russia)

Other pages

• Banana republic
• Satellite state