Everything about Defection totally explained
In
politics, a
defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state or political entity in exchange for allegiance to another. The term is sometimes used as a synonym for
traitor, especially if the defector brings with him
secrets or confidential information. More broadly, it involves abandoning a person, cause or doctrine to whom or to which one is bound by some tie, as of allegiance or duty.
International politics
The physical act of defection is usually in a manner which violates the laws of the nation or political entity from which the person is seeking to depart. By contrast, mere changes in citizenship, or working with allied militia, usually doesn't violate any law.
For example, in the 1950s, East Germans were increasingly prohibited from traveling to the Western
Federal Republic of Germany where they were automatically regarded as citizens according to
Exclusive mandate. The
Berlin Wall and fortifications along the
Inner German border were erected by the Communist East
German Democratic Republic in 1961 to enforce the prison-like policy. When people tried to "defect" from the GDR they were to be shot on sight. Several hundred people were killed along the border in their
Republikflucht attempt. Official crossings did exist, but permissions to leave temporarily or permanently were seldom granted. On the other hand, the GDR citizenship of some "inconvenient" East Germans was revoked, and they'd to leave their home on short notice against their will. Others, like singer
Wolf Biermann, were prohibited from returning into the GDR.
During the
Cold War, the many people emigrating from the
Soviet Union or
Eastern Bloc to
the West were called defectors. Westerners defected to the Eastern Bloc as well: some of the more famous cases were British spy
Kim Philby, who defected to Russia to avoid exposure as a
KGB mole, and
22 Allied POWs (one Briton and twenty-one Americans) who declined repatriation after the
Korean War, electing to remain in China.
When the individual leaves his country and provides information to a foreign intelligence service, he's a
HUMINT source defector. In some cases, defectors remain in the country or with the political entity they're against, functioning as a
defector in place.
Political party defection
The term
defection is also used to refer to the departure of a member from a
political party to join another political party, typically because of discontent in his existing party. Depending on position of the person, it may be given a different name, such as
party switching or
crossing the floor. One famous political "defector" was
Winston Churchill, who first entered Parliament as a
Conservative in 1901, defected to the
Liberals in 1904, and defected back to the Conservatives in 1925.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Defection'.
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