Centralisation
Centralisation or centralization (see spelling differences) is the process by which the activities of an entity or organization, particularly those regarding planning, decision-making and control of strategies and policies, become concentrated within a particular group, sector, department or region within that entity or organization. This creates a power structure where the said group, known as head or core group, occupies the highest level of hierarchy and has significantly more authority, prestige and influence over the other groups, who are considered its subordinates.
"Centralized system" redirects here. For other uses, see Democratic centralism, Moral centralism, Centralized computing, Star network, Central consonant, and Central vowel.
An antonym of centralization is decentralization,[1] where authority is shared among numerous different groups, allowing varying degree of autonomy for each.
The term has a variety of meanings in several fields. In political science, centralisation refers to the concentration of a polity's governance — both geographically and politically — into a centralized government, which has sovereignty over all its administrative divisions. Conversely, a decentralized system of government often has significant separation of powers and local self-governance.
Centralisation in politics[edit]
History of the centralisation of authority[edit]
Centralisation of authority is the systematic and consistent concentration of authority at a central point or in a person within the organization. This idea was first introduced in the Qin Dynasty of China. The Qin government was highly bureaucratic and was administered by a hierarchy of officials, all serving the First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang. The Qin Dynasty practised all the things that Han Feizi taught, allowing Qin Shi Huang to own and control all his territories, including those conquered from other countries. Zheng and his advisers ended feudalism in China by setting up new laws and regulations under a centralised and bureaucratic government with a rigid centralisation of authority.[2]
