Balkanize (Verb)
Meaning
Divide a territory into small, hostile states.
Classification
Verbs of political and social activities and events.
Examples
- The conflict caused the country to balkanize into various smaller states, each with its own competing interests and agendas.
- The war effectively balkanized the region, with foreign powers installing puppet governments and fostering long-lasting rivalries.
- The deliberate strategy to balkanize the opposition resulted in multiple, weaker factions, each more amenable to manipulation by external forces.
- As the empire's grip on the territories weakened, local warlords began to rise and the land would gradually balkanize into a patchwork of petty kingdoms and tribal fiefdoms.
- The colonial powers often sought to balkanize newly acquired territories into smaller administrative units, using divide-and-conquer tactics to maintain control over their subjects.