disunion

Disunion is the state or process by which unity within a political entity, organization, or social group is broken. It describes a shift from a previously unified arrangement to a division into distinct parts, often accompanied by changes in governance, territory, or identity. While the term is commonly used in political contexts, it may also apply to corporate structures, regional alliances, or cultural communities that part ways.

The word combines dis- meaning apart with union, from Latin unio, joined.

Political disunion can result from secession, dissolution of a federation, or redrawing borders; other forms include organizational disintegration, regional fragmentation. Causes include political conflict, disagreements over sovereignty, resources, demographic changes, economic strain, and governance disputes; disunion can be voluntary or imposed.

It can lead to new states, revised borders, or lasting peace via reorganization. It may provoke instability or violence, or, in some cases, peaceful transformation.

Historical and contemporary examples include the United States Civil War, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the breakup of Yugoslavia (the Yugoslav Wars), the Velvet Divorce that split Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and Brexit as a modern case of disunion within the broader framework of European integration.

Related terms include secession, dissolution, break-up, federation, and civil conflict. Disunion remains a central concept in the study of political change, statecraft, and regional development.

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