centralization

American  

[sen-truh-luh-zey-shuhn] / ˌsɛn trə ləˈzeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act or fact of centralizing; fact of being centralized.

2. the concentration of administrative power in a central government, authority, etc.

3. Chiefly Sociology.

   1. a process whereby social groups and institutions become increasingly dependent on a central group or institution.

   2. concentration of control or power in a few individuals.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• anticentralization
  adjective
• procentralization
  adjective
• overcentralization
  noun
• recentralization
  noun

Etymology

Origin of centralization

First recorded in 1795–1805; centralize + -ation

Explanation

Centralization means bringing things to one central place or under unified control. The centralization of a school district might mean the superintendent makes important decisions for all the schools, rather than leaving those choices to individual principals. Centralization can refer to the consolidation of operations, like the centralization of a company's distribution, so that all the products they make are shipped out from one central warehouse. However, it often refers to the consolidation of power or control. When centralization occurs in a government, it means a small group increasingly controls everything; the disadvantage to extreme centralization is that there aren't enough checks and balances to that power.

Example Sentences

But I have come to the conviction, that for freedom there is no duration in CENTRALIZATION, which is a legacy of ambitious men.

From Select Speeches of Kossuth by Newman, Francis William

Related Words

• unification