View source for Divide and rule

{{about||the short story by L. Sprague de Camp|Divide and Rule (short story)|the collection of novellas by L. Sprague de Camp|Divide and Rule (collection)}}
{{distinguish|divide and choose}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{refimprove|date=November 2007}}
{{original research|date=August 2007}}
{{globalize|date=November 2011}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2013}}
In [[politics]] and [[sociology]], '''divide and rule''' (or '''divide and conquer''') is gaining and maintaining [[Power (social and political)|power]] by breaking up larger concentrations of power into pieces that individually have less power than the one implementing the strategy. The concept refers to a strategy that breaks up existing power structures and prevents smaller power groups from linking up.

[[Traiano Boccalini]] cites "divide et impera" in ''La bilancia politica'', 1,136 and 2,225 as a common principle in politics. The use of this technique is meant to empower the sovereign to control subjects, populations, or factions of different interests, who collectively might be able to oppose his rule. [[Machiavelli]] identifies a similar application to military strategy, advising in Book VI of ''The Art of War''<ref>[https://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au/m/machiavelli/niccolo/m149a/chapter6.html https://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au]</ref> (''Dell'arte della guerra''),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.intratext.com/IXT/ITA1109/_P7.HTM|title=Dell'arte  della guerra: testo - IntraText CT|work=intratext.com}}</ref> that a Captain should endeavor with every art to divide the forces of the enemy, either by making him suspicious of his men in whom he trusted, or by giving him cause that he has to separate his forces, and, because of this, become weaker.

The maxim ''divide et impera'' has been attributed to [[Philip II of Macedon]], and together with the maxim ''divide ut regnes'' was utilised by the Roman ruler [[Julius Caesar|Caesar]] and the French emperor [[Napoleon]].

The strategy, but not the phrase, applies in many ancient cases: the example of [[Aulus Gabinius|Gabinius]] exists, parting [[Iudaea Province|the Jewish nation]] into five conventions, reported by [[Flavius Josephus]] in Book I, 169-170 of ''The Wars of the Jews'' (''De bello Judaico'').<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=J.+BJ+1.159 |title=Flavius Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, Book I, section 159 |publisher=Perseus.tufts.edu |date= |accessdate=2011-08-27}}</ref> [[Strabo]] also reports in ''Geography'', 8.7.3<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Strab.+8.7.1 |title=Strabo, Geography, Book 8, chapter 7, section 1 |publisher=Perseus.tufts.edu |date= |accessdate=2011-08-27}}</ref> that the [[Achaean League]] was gradually dissolved under the Roman possession of the whole of [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonia]], owing to them not dealing with the several states in the same way, but wishing to preserve some and to destroy others.

The strategy of division and rule has been attributed to sovereigns ranging from [[Louis XI]] to [[Habsburgs|the Habsburgs]]. [[Edward Coke]] denounces it in Chapter I of the Fourth Part of the ''Institutes'', reporting that when it was demanded by the [[House of Lords|Lords]] and [[British House of Commons|Commons]] what might be a principal motive for them to have good success in [[Parliament of England|Parliament]], it was answered: "''Eritis insuperabiles, si fueritis inseparabiles. Explosum est illud diverbium: Divide, & impera, cum radix & vertex imperii in obedientium consensus rata sunt.''" [You would be insuperable if you were inseparable. This proverb, Divide and rule, has been rejected, since the root and the summit of authority are confirmed by the consent of the subjects.] On the other hand, in a minor variation, [[Francis Bacon|Sir Francis Bacon]] wrote the phrase "separa et impera" in a letter to [[James I of England|James I]] of 15 February 1615. [[James Madison]] made this recommendation in a letter to [[Thomas Jefferson]] of 24 October 1787,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/v1ch17s22.html |title=Constitutional Government: James Madison to Thomas Jefferson |publisher=Press-pubs.uchicago.edu |date= |accessdate=2011-08-27}}</ref> which summarized the thesis of ''[[Federalist Papers|The Federalist #10]]'':<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.constitution.org/fed/federa10.htm|title=The Federalist #10|work=constitution.org}}</ref> "Divide et impera, the reprobated axiom of tyranny, is under certain (some) qualifications, the only policy, by which a republic can be administered on just principles." In ''Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch''
by Immanuel Kant (1795), Appendix one, ''Divide et impera'' is the third of three political maxims, the others being ''Fac et excusa'' (Act now, and make excuses later) and ''Si fecisti, nega'' (when you commit a crime, deny it).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.constitution.org/kant/append1.htm |title=Immanuel Kant: Perpetual Peace: Appendix I |publisher=Constitution.org |date= |accessdate=2011-08-27}}</ref>

Elements of this technique involve:
* creating or encouraging divisions among the subjects to prevent alliances that could challenge the sovereign
* aiding and promoting those who are willing to cooperate with the sovereign
* fostering distrust and enmity between local rulers
* encouraging meaningless expenditures that reduce the capability for political and military spending

Historically, this strategy was used in many different ways by empires seeking to expand their territories.

The concept is also mentioned as a strategy for market action in [[economics]] to get the most out of the players in a competitive market.

==In the workplace==
{{Main|Psychopathy in the workplace}}
Clive R. Boddy found that "divide and conquer" was a common strategy by corporate [[psychopaths]] used as a smokescreen to help consolidate and advance their grip on power in the corporate hierarchy.<ref name=Boddy>Boddy, C. R. Corporate Psychopaths: Organizational Destroyers (2011)</ref>

==Historical examples==

===Africa===
The divide and conquer strategy was used by foreign countries in [[Africa]] during the [[Scramble for Africa|colonial]] and post-colonial period.

* Germany and [[Belgium]] ruled [[Rwanda]] and [[Burundi]] in a colonial capacity. Germany used the strategy of divide and conquer by placing members of the already dominant [[Tutsi]] minority in positions of power. When Belgium took over colonial rule in 1916, the Tutsi and [[Hutu]] groups were rearranged according to race instead of occupation. Belgium defined "Tutsi" as anyone with more than ten cows or a long nose, while "Hutu" meant someone with less than ten cows and a broad nose. The socioeconomic divide between Tutsis and Hutus continued after independence and was a major factor in the [[Rwandan Genocide]].
* During [[British Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria|British]] rule of [[Nigeria]] from 1900 to 1960, different regions were frequently reclassified for administrative purposes. The conflict between the [[Igbo people|Igbo]] and [[Hausa people|Hausa]] made it easier for the British to consolidate their power in the region.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ad41|title=HISTORY OF NIGERIA|work=historyworld.net}}</ref>

===Asia===
====Mongolian Empire====
*At the same time the Mongols imported Central Asian Muslims to serve as administrators in China, the Mongols also sent Han Chinese and Khitans from China to serve as administrators over the Muslim population in Bukhara in Central Asia, using foreigners to curtail the power of the local peoples of both lands. Pakistan and India were also divided with this policy.<ref>{{cite web|jstor=41930343|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41930343?seq=17|journal=Journal of Asian History|title=SINO-KHITAN ADMINISTRATION IN MONGOL BUKHARA|last=BUELL|first=PAUL D.|volume=Vol. 13|number=No. 2|date=1979|pages=137–8|publisher=Harrassowitz Verlag}}</ref>

====Indian subcontinent====
The strategy of "Divide and Rule" was employed by most imperial powers in [[Indian subcontinent]]. The British and French backed various Indian states in conflicts between each other, both as a means of undermining each other's influence and consolidating their authority. [[Balochistan]] is one of the examples.

====Middle East====
* The [[Sykes-Picot Agreement]]

===Europe===
* Romans entered [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonia]] from the south and defeated King [[Perseus of Macedon]] in the [[Battle of Pydna]] in 168 BC. Macedonia was then divided into four republics that were heavily restricted from relations with one another and other Hellenic states. A ruthless purge occurred, with allegedly anti-Roman citizens being denounced by their compatriots and deported in large numbers.
* During the [[Gallic Wars]], [[Julius Caesar]] was able to use a divide and rule strategy to easily defeat the militarily strong [[Gauls]]. By the time the Gauls united under [[Vercingetorix]] it was already too late for them.<ref name="EB_The_Roman_Conquest">{{cite web |url=https://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/215768/France/41196/The-press |title=France: The Roman conquest |last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= |website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica Online]] |publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica (company)|Encyclopædia Britannica]] |access-date=April 6, 2015 |quote="Because of chronic internal rivalries, Gallic resistance was easily broken, though Vercingetorix’s Great Rebellion of 52 bce had notable successes."}}</ref><ref name="The_first_triumvirate_and_the_conquest_of_Gaul">{{cite web |url=https://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/88114/Julius-Caesar/9735/The-first-triumvirate-and-the-conquest-of-Gaul |title=Julius Caesar: The first triumvirate and the conquest of Gaul |last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= |website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica Online]] |publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica (company)|Encyclopædia Britannica]] |access-date=February 15, 2015 |quote="Indeed, the Gallic cavalry was probably superior to the Roman, horseman for horseman. Rome’s military superiority lay in its mastery of strategy, tactics, discipline, and military engineering. In Gaul, Rome also had the advantage of being able to deal separately with dozens of relatively small, independent, and uncooperative states. Caesar conquered these piecemeal, and the concerted attempt made by a number of them in 52 bce to shake off the Roman yoke came too late."}}</ref>
* Following the [[October revolution]], the [[Bolsheviks]] engaged at various times in alliances with the [[Left Socialist-Revolutionaries]], some [[Anarchists#Russian Revolution|anarchists]], and various non-Russian ethnic [[nationalist]] groups, against the [[White movement]], [[Right Socialist-Revolutionaries]], and other anarchist and ethnic nationalist groups. This was done to establish the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]] (the Bolshevik party) as the sole legal party in the [[Soviet Union]]. Similar shifting alliances were played out amongst various dissident factions within the *****SU, such as the [[Workers Opposition]] and [[Left Communists]], with [[Joseph Stalin]] and his supporters gaining absolute power within the party by the mid-1920s.
* The [[Salami strategy]] of Hungarian Communist leader, [[Mátyás Rákosi]].{{Citation needed|date=August 2007}}
* Alliances with various parties played a role in the Nazi ''[[Machtergreifung]]'' and ''[[Gleichschaltung]]'', the seizure and consolidation of total power by the [[National Socialist German Workers Party]]. The [[Enabling Act]], which banned the [[Communist Party of Germany|Communist]] and [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic]] parties, was supported by the Nazis' coalition partner, the [[German National People's Party]], as well as by the [[Centre Party (Germany)|Centre Party]]. Several months later, all political parties in Germany were banned except for the NSDAP.

===Mexico===
* [[Chiapas conflict]]

== See also ==
{{columns-list|2|
* [[British Raj]]
* [[Counter-insurgency]]
* [[Culture of fear]]
* [[Divide and conquer algorithms]]
* [[Gerrymandering]]
* [[Identity politics#Debates and criticism|Criticism of identity politics]]
* [[Marginalization]]
* [[Promoting adversaries]]
* [[Salients, re-entrants and pockets#Motti]]
* [[Social undermining]]
* [[Toxic leader]]
* [[Toxic workplace]]
* [[Wedge issue]]
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Wiktionary-inline}}

{{Workplace}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Divide And Rule}}
[[Category:Political terminology]]
[[Category:Strategy]]
[[Category:Conflict]]
[[Category:Machiavellianism]]
[[Category:Organizational conflict]]
[[Category:Power (social and political)]]
[[Category:Workplace]]
[[Category:Workplace bullying]]