Countless civilizations have risen, ruled, and fallen throughout human history, and some nations have been erased completely. From devastating wars to colonization, entire countries have been torn apart, repurposed, and remade into the nations that we know today. (These were the most massive empires in history.)
We’ve compiled a list of examples from the 19th to the 21st century that will include some familiar names and some you might be fascinated to learn even existed. It’s all a reminder to us that much of what we think is permanent may be just a generation away from radical change: food for thought for the causes we invest our life and treasure into.
Why We Should Study Past Civilizations
Human history spans thousands of years and was created by countless changes throughout. The world we know today is drastically different from our ancestors’, with shifting borders that are continually reshaping the global landscape. Understanding the world’s past, its transformations, and the reasons behind them provides context for current geopolitical events and relationships. It also helps us to appreciate the diverse cultures and civilizations that have shaped the world as we know it today.
These countries from history no longer exist today:
Austro-Hungarian Empire
This extremely ethnically diverse country existed for only 51 years from 1867 to 1918, but during that time it caused a lot of trouble. It was made up of two states under the rule of one monarch with a unified foreign policy and military structure. World War I began when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. The country was defeated along with the other Central powers: Germany, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire.
Austria-Hungary was then split into the separate countries of Austria, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and the new country of Yugoslavia (including Serbia and other territories outside the empire). Portions of its territory also went to Poland and Romania.
Czechoslovakia
This Central European country was organized in 1918 out of the northern part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which was split up at the end of World War I. Nazi Germany annexed it in World War II.
After the war, the Soviet Union occupied it and set up a communist government. This in turn fell to a peaceful revolution in 1989. Four years later, in 1993, Slovakia declared independence and the remaining portion of the country was proclaimed the Czech Republic or Czechia (both acceptable as official names).
East and West Germany
Germany united in 1871 but lost large amounts of territory at the end of World War I in 1918. Defeated again in World War II, Germany was reduced substantially and divided into zones of occupation by the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union. When the Soviets refused to demobilize, the separate Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) were organized in 1949. These lasted until communist East Germany collapsed and the country reunited as a single, unified Germany in 1990.
East and West Pakistan
Pakistan was part of the British colony of India. As India moved toward independence, the British divided the subcontinent into the separate countries of India and Pakistan to provide homelands for Hindus and Muslims, respectively. Because there were large concentrations of Muslims on both the northwest and northeast sides of the continent, the Muslim homeland consisted of two parts ruled under one government: West Pakistan and East Pakistan.
In 1971 and with Indian assistance, East Pakistan fought for its independence as Bangladesh, while the western part of the country retained the name “Pakistan.”
Federal Republic of Central America
In 1821 Central America declared independence from Spain but was annexed by Mexico a year later. In 1823 the country regained its independence, but later had two civil wars. In 1840, it split into the independent countries of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.
Gran Colombia
This South American country, briefly known as “Gran Colombia”, existed for a short time from 1819 to 1830. It encompassed modern-day Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Panama. Following the independence of Venezuela and Ecuador, the remaining territory underwent several name changes before settling on “Colombia.”
However, the political landscape continued to shift. With American backing, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903, paving the way for the construction of the Panama Canal.
Kingdom of Hawaiʻi
Kamehameha I, the ruler of the island of Hawaii, conquered and unified the remaining islands of the chain into one kingdom that lasted from 1795 to 1893.
However, Americans began to settle and build plantations on the islands. In order to escape American taxation of imports of foreign sugar, American plantation owners, supported by the U.S. military, overthrew the government and succeeded in annexing the country to the United States, where it became a state in 1959.
Korean Empire
After a period of decline and unrest, a unified Korean Empire was organized and lasted from 1897 to 1910. Japan later annexed the country as a colony from 1910 to 1945.
Then at the end of World War II, the Soviet Union occupied the northern half of the peninsula. This led to the establishment of two new countries: communist North Korea (the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) and Western-oriented South Korea (the Republic of Korea).
North and South Yemen
Yemen split into two independent countries from 1967 to 1990: North Yemen and South Yemen. The two reunited after South Yemen lost financial support from the collapsing Soviet Union. Today Yemen is embroiled in a civil war and the future unity of the country is uncertain.
Ottoman Empire
From the 14th through the early 20th century, the Ottoman Empire ruled Southeast Europe, much of the Middle East, and coastal North Africa from its capital of Istanbul. However, it gradually lost its more far-flung territories to independence movements and colonization by other countries. The country was on the losing side of World War I and subsequently, in 1918 it was divided into several countries.
The Ottomans once ruled all of what is today Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Kuwait. They controlled parts of what are today Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Iran, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Croatia, Hungary, and Austria.
Prussia
This country was located mainly in what is today northern Germany, western and northern Poland, and Lithuania. It originated in an area ruled by the Teutonic Knights and was organized as a country in the 16th century. It unified with 38 other German states in 1871 under Prussian leadership.
Republic of Texas
In the early 1800s, Mexico allowed Americans to begin settling in the northeastern part of their country. When Mexico tried to tax the increasing numbers of settlers, however, they rebelled and declared themselves as the independent Republic of Texas, which existed for 9 years from 1836 to 1845. Subsequently, Texas was annexed by the United States and became a U.S. state.
Sikkim
This Himalayan kingdom between Nepal and Bhutan had existed since the 17th century but was annexed by India in 1975.
North and South Vietnam
From 1954 to 1976 Vietnam was divided into a communist North Vietnam and a Western-oriented South Vietnam. After the North won the Vietnam War, the country was reunited under communist rule and is now known simply as “Vietnam.”
Tibet
The Tibetan Plateau is the highest place on the planet, with an average elevation of 14,000 feet. It includes Mount Everest, which is the Earth’s highest mountain at 29,000 feet above sea level.
Tibet developed a culturally distinct version of Buddhism led by the Dalai Lama. An independent empire existed there starting in the 7th century. Tibet ruled itself until 1951 when it was invaded and annexed by the People’s Republic of China. The Dalai Lama now lives in India and is the spiritual leader of nonviolent resistance to the Chinese rule of Tibet.
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)
Also known as the Soviet Union, the USSR was the communist government organized on the territory of the Russian Empire after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. It existed until 1991, when the collapse of the government broke the country up into 15 independent nations: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldovia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
United Arab Republic
Syria and Egypt unified to become the United Arab Republic in 1958 under the leadership of the charismatic Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser. There were hopes other Arab countries would join but this did not materialize. Syria left the union in 1961.
Yugoslavia
This Balkan country existed from 1918 to 1992. It was formed at the end of World War II from remnants of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and a few smaller countries. It became communist after World War II but was able to retain its independence from the control of the Soviet Union.
With the collapse of communism across Europe in the late 80s and early 90s, Yugoslavia fought several brutal civil wars. This ultimately resulted in the country breaking into several independent nations: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia, and North Macedonia.
Zanzibar and Tanganyika
Prior to 1964, the East African country of Tanzania existed as two separate countries: Zanzibar and Tanganyika. The latter was a German colony until the British took over after World War I. (Some readers might be interested to know it was the setting for the classic film African Queen starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn). Zanzibar was an Islamic sultanate that the British took over as a protectorate to force the abolishment of the thriving slave trade centered there.
Tanganyika became independent in 1961 and the People’s Republic of Zanzibar in 1964. Just six months later, Zanzibar united with Tanganyika into the country now known as “Tanzania” to incorporate the names of both.
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