Plebiscite

Plebiscite, a vote by the electorate of a nation, region, or locality on a specific question. In modern times, plebiscites have been held to determine the wishes of the inhabitants of a country or area as to their choice of sovereignty and have constituted an important political means of self-determination for a number of peoples and nations. The use of plebiscites in this sense originated at the time of the French Revolution, supposedly as an alternative to forcible annexations and wars of conquest. The plebiscites held after 1793, however, in areas including Belgium and the Rhineland, were accompanied by the intimidation of voters in order to assure decisions desired by the French government.

As democratic instruments, plebiscites were used after the resurgence of nationalistic sentiments in Europe in 1848. They played a prominent role, for example, in the long struggle for the independence and unification of Italy. In 1852 a notable plebiscite was held in France by Napoleon III to give the appearance of popular approval to the coup d'etat by which he had overthrown the republic and established the second empire.

In the 20th century, important plebiscites resulted in the separation of Norway from Sweden in 1905 and in the reacquisition of the Saarland by Germany in 1935. More recently, they have been used in Africa to learn the preferences of newly independent peoples for their national sovereignty.