Every state, unitary or federal, has things that hold it together and things that strain it. Geographers borrow two words from physics for them.
Key idea
Centripetal forces pull a state together: a shared language or religion, national symbols, a respected government, good transportation, a common outside threat. Centrifugal forces pull it apart: regional differences in language, religion or wealth, poor connections, and a sense of unfair treatment. Strong centrifugal forces can lead to devolution, the transfer of power from the center to regions.
Why it works
A difference by itself does not divide a state. Switzerland has four national languages and is stable. A difference becomes centrifugal when it lines up with a region (a group concentrated in one area), and with a grievance (a feeling of unfair treatment). Then people may ask for more self-government. States often respond with devolution: Spain's 1978 constitution opened the way for its autonomous communities, and in 1999 the United Kingdom opened a Scottish Parliament and a Welsh assembly.
- Ethnic and cultural forces: language, religion, a separate history.
- Economic forces: a region much richer or poorer than the rest.
- Spatial forces: distance and barriers, such as islands far from the capital or mountains between regions.
Worked example: Sort a force
A country's capital is on the mainland, and an island region 1,000 km away gets few ferries and little investment. Is the distance centripetal or centrifugal?
- Distance and poor links make it harder to feel part of the whole.
- Add the sense of being neglected, and the region has a grievance.
Answer: Centrifugal (a spatial force with an economic grievance).
Worked example: When is a difference not divisive?
A country has two languages, spoken all over the country rather than in separate regions, and both are official. Is this likely to be a strong centrifugal force?
- A difference divides most when it matches a region and a grievance.
- Here the speakers are mixed together, and both languages are respected.
Answer: Probably not; with no separate region and no grievance, it is a weak dividing force.
Common mistake
Treating any difference as centrifugal. A difference becomes a dividing force when it lines up with a region and a sense of grievance. Many diverse countries are stable, and some fairly uniform ones have regional tensions over money or distance.