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Divide and rule
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For the algorithmic strategy used in Computer Science, see Divide and conquer algorithm. For the novella by L. Sprague de Camp, see Divide and Rule (novella). For the collection of novellas by L. Sprague de Camp, see Divide and Rule (collection).
Not to be confused with divide and choose.
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Tradition attributes the origin of the motto to Philip of Macedonia: διαίρει καὶ βασίλευε diaírei kài basíleue, in ancient Greek: «divide and rule»
Divide and rule (or divide and conquer, from Latin dīvide et imperā) in politics and sociology is gaining and maintaining 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 especially prevents smaller power groups from linking up, causing rivalries and fomenting discord among the people. It was heavily used by British Empire in India and elsewhere.[1]
Traiano Boccalini cites "divide et impera" in La bilancia politica[2] 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[3] (Dell'arte della guerra),[4] 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 Caesar and the French emperor Napoleon.
The strategy, but not the phrase, applies in many ancient cases: the example of Gabinius exists, parting the Jewish nation into five conventions, reported by Flavius Josephus in Book I, 169-170 of The Wars of the Jews (De bello Judaico).[5] Strabo also reports in Geography, 8.7.3[6] that the Achaean League was gradually dissolved under the Roman possession of the whole of 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 the Habsburgs. Edward Coke denounces it in Chapter I of the Fourth Part of the Institutes, reporting that when it was demanded by the Lords and Commons what might be a principal motive for them to have good success in Parliament, it was answered: "Eritis insuperabiles, si fueritis inseparabiles. Explosum est illud diverbium: Divide, & impera, cum radix & vertex imperii in obedientium consensu 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, Sir Francis Bacon wrote the phrase "separa et impera" in a letter to James I of 15 February 1615. James Madison made this recommendation in a letter to Thomas Jefferson of 24 October 1787,[7] which summarized the thesis of The Federalist#10:[8] "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).[9]
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.
Contents
1 Narcissism
2 Psychopathy in the workplace
3 Historical examples
3.1 Africa
3.2 Asia
3.2.1 Mongolian Empire
3.2.2 Indian subcontinent
3.2.3 Middle East
3.3 Europe
3.4 Mexico
4 See also
5 References
6 External links
Narcissism[edit]
Main articles: Narcissism, Narcissistic parent, and Narcissism in the workplace
A primary strategy the narcissist uses to assert control, particularly within his/her family, is to create divisions among individuals. This weakens and isolates them, making it easier for the narcissist to manipulate and dominate. Some are favoured, others are scapegoated. Such dynamics can play out in a workplace setting.[10]
Psychopathy in the workplace[edit]
Main article: 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.[11]
Historical examples[edit]
Africa[edit]
The divide and conquer strategy was used by foreign countries in parts of Africa during the 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 rule of Nigeria from 1900 to 1960, different regions were frequently reclassified for administrative purposes. The conflict between the Igbo and Hausa made it easier for the British to consolidate their power in the region.[citation needed][12]
Asia[edit]
Mongolian Empire[edit]
While 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 by this policy.[13]
Indian subcontinent[edit]
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.
Further, it is argued that the British used the strategy to destroy the harmony between various religions and use it for their benefits[14]; a Times Literary Supplement review suggests that although this was broadly the case a more nuanced approach might be closer to the facts[15].
Middle East[edit]
The Sykes-Picot Agreement is an example of a 'divide and rule' strategy.
Some analysts assert that the US is practicing the strategy in the 21st century middle east through escalation of the Sunni-Shia conflict. Nafeez Ahmed cites a 2008 RAND Corporation study for the American military which recommended "divide and rule" as a possible strategy against the Muslim world in "the Long War." [16] Dr. Christopher Davidson argues that the current crisis in Yemen is being “egged on” by the US, and could be part of a wider covert strategy to “spur fragmentation in Iran allies and allow Israel to be surrounded by weak states”.[17]
Europe[edit]
Romans entered 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.[18][19]
Following the October revolution, the Bolsheviks engaged at various times in alliances with the Left Socialist-Revolutionaries, some 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 CPSU, 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]
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 and Social Democratic parties, was supported by the Nazis' coalition partner, the German National People's Party, as well as by the Centre Party. Several months later, all political parties in Germany were banned except for the NSDAP.
The British Empire urged the Britons in British Cyprus to stir up the Turkish minority in order to neutralize agitation from the Greeks[20][21] The British colonial policy of “divide and rule” cultivated intentionally animosity between the Greek majority and the Turkish minority (18% of the population) in the island that remains divided till today.[22]
Mexico[edit]
Chiapas conflict
See also[edit]
British Raj
Culture of fear
Destabilisation
Divide and conquer algorithms
Flying monkeys (psychology)
Hegelian_Thesis
Machiavellianism
Marginalization
Playing one person against another
Problem-reaction-solution
Right-wing populism § European countries
Social undermining
Thesis,_antithesis,_synthesis
Toxic leader
Toxic workplace
Triangulation (psychology)
Wedge issue
References[edit]
Jump up ^ Ilia Xypolia. 'Divide et Impera: Vertical and Horizontal Dimensions of British Imperialism'. Critique: journal of socialist theory, vol 44, no. 3, pp. 221-231, 2016. P. 221.
Jump up ^ 1 §136 and 2 §225
Jump up ^ http://etext.library.adelaide.edu.au Archived 25 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ "Dell'arte della guerra: testo - IntraText CT". intratext.com.
Jump up ^ "Flavius Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, Book I, section 159". Perseus Project. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
Jump up ^ "Strabo, Geography, Book 8, chapter 7, section 1". Perseus Project. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
Jump up ^ "Constitutional Government: James Madison to Thomas Jefferson". Press-pubs.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
Jump up ^ "The Federalist #10". constitution.org.
Jump up ^ "Immanuel Kant: Perpetual Peace: Appendix I". Constitution.org. Retrieved 2011-08-27.
Jump up ^ Hall J It’s You and Me Baby: Narcissist Head Games The Narcissist Family Files 27 Mar 2017
Jump up ^ Boddy, C. R. Corporate Psychopaths: Organizational Destroyers (2011)
Jump up ^ "HISTORY OF NIGERIA". historyworld.net.
Jump up ^ BUELL, PAUL D. (1979). "SINO-KHITAN ADMINISTRATION IN MONGOL BUKHARA". Journal of Asian History. Harrassowitz Verlag. 13 (2): 137–8. JSTOR 41930343.
Jump up ^ Shashi Tharoor - Inglorious Empire What the British Did to India
Jump up ^ Jon Wilson, 2016, India Conquered: Britain's Raj and the chaos of empire, cited in a review of Tharoor's work by Elizabeth Buettner in "Debt of Honour: why the European impact on India must be fully acknowledged", Times Literary Supplement, August 11 2017, pages 13-14.
Jump up ^ Pernin, Christopher G.; et al. (2008). "Unfolding the Future of the Long War" (PDF). US Army Training and Doctrine Command’s Army Capability Integration Center – via RAND Arroyo. CS1 maint: Explicit use of et al. (link)
Jump up ^ "The Pentagon plan to 'divide and rule' the Muslim world". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
Jump up ^ "France: The Roman conquest". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved April 6, 2015. Because of chronic internal rivalries, Gallic resistance was easily broken, though Vercingetorix's Great Rebellion of 52 bce had notable successes.
Jump up ^ "Julius Caesar: The first triumvirate and the conquest of Gaul". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved February 15, 2015. 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.
Jump up ^ Grob-Fitzgibbon, Benjamin (2011). Imperial Endgame: Britain's Dirty Wars and the End of Empire. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 285. ISBN 978-0-230-30038-5.
Jump up ^ Jordan, Preston Lim (2018). The Evolution of British Counter-Insurgency during the Cyprus Revolt, 1955–1959. Springer. p. 58. ISBN 9783319916200.
Jump up ^ "International Justice: The Case of Cyprus". Washington, D.C.: The HuffPost. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
External links[edit]
The dictionary definition of divide and rule at Wiktionary
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Fair catch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A fair catch of a punt in American football
A fair catch is a feature of American football and several other codes of football, in which a player attempting to catch a ball kicked by the opposing team – either on a kickoff or punt – is entitled to catch the ball without interference from any member of the kicking team.[1] A ball caught in this manner becomes dead once caught, i.e., the player catching the ball is not entitled to run with the ball in an attempt to gain yardage, and the receiving team begins its drive at the spot where the ball was caught. A player wishing to make a fair catch signals his intent by extending one arm above his head and waving it while the kicked ball is in flight. The kicking team must allow the player an opportunity to make the catch without interference.
The primary reason for the fair catch rule is to protect the receiver. A receiver directs his attention toward the incoming punt and cannot focus on the defenders running towards him. He is quite vulnerable to injury and is also at risk for fumbling or muffing the kicked ball if the punter intentionally makes a high short kick to allow defenders time to hit the receiver. A second reason for a fair catch, on a punted ball, is to prevent the ball from rolling toward the receiving team's goal and being downed deep in the team's own territory.
The XFL removed the fair catch in an effort to attract fans who dislike the rule. Canadian football and arena football also do not have fair catch rules, with XFL and Canadian football preferring a five-yard "no-yards" rule instead.
In rugby union and Australian rules football, a loose equivalent to a fair catch is called a mark; see mark (rugby) and mark (Australian football) for more information (however in Australian Rules Football the player is not protected from the opposition team while attempting a mark). Fair catches featured in some extinct forms of football, and they have been abolished in other modern codes. In Rugby League the defensive player attempting to catch the ball cannot be tackled whilst in the air, though the attacking players can contest the ball by attempting to catch it themselves. A player who successfully catches the ball is able to be tackled only once they have landed on the ground. A player who does not leave the ground in attempting to catch the ball is able to be tackled as soon as the ball is caught.
Contents
[hide]
1 American football
2 Other games
3 References
4 External links
American football[edit]
In American football, a member of the team receiving a punt or kick, may signal for a "fair catch". This is the receiver's choice in which he gives up the right to advance the ball in exchange for protection from being tackled when he is focusing on the incoming ball and thus vulnerable to serious injury.
To signal a fair catch the receiver must raise one arm fully above his head and wave it from side to side while the ball is in flight. If the receiver fails to give a proper signal (arm not fully extended) the receiving team is penalized five yards for an invalid fair catch signal, marked from the spot of the signal, and the player is not protected from being tackled.
An opponent tackling or making any contact with a receiver who has given a fair catch signal is guilty of a personal foul carrying a 15-yard penalty. If the interference is deemed flagrant, the kicking team member can also be ejected from the game.
If the receiver attempts to advance the ball after signalling for a fair catch he is penalized five yards for "delay of game", because the fair caught ball becomes dead once caught.
Regardless of whether a fair catch signal is made, no opponent may interfere with anyone attempting to catch the kicked ball, his path to the ball, or with the flight of the ball. This is the foul of "Kick Catching Interference" which is a "personal foul" carrying a 15-yard penalty. If the interference is deemed flagrant, the kicking team member can also be ejected from the game.
A player signaling for a fair catch is not required to catch the ball; however, after making the signal, he may not initiate contact with any member of the kicking team until the ball is touched by another player. If he does he will be penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct. If the ball hits the ground or a member of the kicking team, the fair catch is off and rules for kicked balls apply. If the receiver "muffs" the ball (touches it, but then fails to obtain control of the ball), then the ball can be recovered by either team once the ball touches the ground.
A fair catch may be followed by a snap or a type of free kick — the fair catch kick — at his team's choice, and an expired playing period may be extended if the free kick is chosen. The NCAA abolished the fair catch from its version of American football in 1950, but restored it in 1951, minus the option of kicking from the mark of the catch, which is retained in rules of the National Federation of State High School Associations and the National Football League.
If the kicking team commits kick catching interference on a returner who has given a valid fair catch signal, the receiving team retains the right to a fair catch kick from the yard line where the ball is spotted following the penalty.
The fair catch signal can be used as a legal form of deception: If the receiver has no intention of actually fielding the ball, but wishes it to roll into the end zone for a touchback, he may signal for a fair catch in front of where the ball will land, making the kicking team think it will not reach the end zone.
A fair catch on a kickoff return is used primarily on short kickoffs to prevent a ball kicked high in the air from being recovered by the kicking team.
Other games[edit]
See also: Mark (rugby) and Mark (Australian football)
Various forms of football descended from certain English school football games of the 19th century have had a fair catch. It was abolished early in the development of soccer, then in the middle of the 20th century by Canadian football, and slightly later by rugby league. Forms of football retaining a form of fair catch (also called "mark") include American (outdoor), rugby union, and Australian rules. The American-invented intramural games speedball and speed-a-way have some of the flavor of the original fair catch, which was to allow handling of the ball in games where handling was otherwise forbidden. Australian rules, speedball, and speed-a-way do not require that the kick be from an opponent. American football requires that the catcher signal in advance, as did Canadian football before that game abolished the fair catch. Rugby union requires a player to signal a fair catch by catching the ball and shouting "Mark!".
In some forms of football a player fielding an opponent's kick must be given a certain circular unobstructed space around him in which to do so by either some or all opponents. In rugby union, rugby league, and Canadian football this applies only against members of the kicking team who are offside, and applies whether the ball is in the air, bouncing, or rolling. In Arena Football, there is no fair catch; however all members of the kicking team must refrain from penetrating the five-yard line in coverage, but only while the ball is in the air.
The various games differ as to the conditions under which a fair catch will be awarded — for example, whether the ball must be caught "cleanly", i.e. without juggling. Rugby union requires a clean catch. American football allows the ball to be juggled, but not to be intentionally batted forward to improve the position of the catch (as for a free kick at goal). Australian rules is most generous, allowing unlimited hand play with the ball before it is caught, and allowing the kick to be from any other player, regardless of team (however, the ball must have travelled 15 metres) and the ball can even be dropped so long as the player is deemed to have sufficient control of its fall. In the 19th century in rugby, and into the 20th in American and Canadian football, a fair catch was allowed from certain kicks of a teammate—a punt-out or punt-on.
References[edit]
Jump up ^ http://www.nfl.com/rulebook/faircatch
External links[edit]
NFL Rulebook: Faircatch
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