As I hear about roads being renamed and unjust laws being passed, let it be noted, there’s a curious thing about governments that thrive on dividing people: they rarely survive long enough to enjoy the fruits of their mischief. History has a knack for toppling rulers who think they can keep power by pitting one lot of their people against the other.
It’s almost like cooking a meal but turning the fire so high that the whole dish burns before you get to taste it.
Take Rome, for example. Julius Caesar’s assassination was followed by the infamous divide-and-rule strategy of his successors. Instead of addressing the real problems, Roman emperors distracted citizens by pointing fingers—at Christians, foreigners, and even their own army. The result? A crumbling empire that, by the time the barbarians arrived, had already weakened from within. Rome collapsed because it had been broken into too many pieces from the inside.
Fast forward to the 20th century, and we find another textbook case: British India. The British Raj mastered the art of divide and rule, convincing Hindus and Muslims that they were mortal enemies.
The strategy worked wonders—for the British, at least—until 1947, when the very divisions they fostered led to such an uncontrollable frenzy that even their well-polished boots couldn’t get them out in an orderly manner. As they scurried home, two new nations were left bleeding in the aftermath of a hasty, ill-conceived partition.
Of course, no discussion on divisive governance would be complete without a nod to Nazi Germany. Hitler, an enthusiastic student of this brand of politics, built an entire regime on the principle of creating ‘us’ and ‘them.’ First, it was political opponents, then Jews, then Slavs, then even some of his own military generals who dared to question him. The result? A world war, a devastated country, and a reputation so toxic that even today, calling someone a Nazi is considered the ultimate insult.
But let’s not just gaze at the past; let’s peek into our present. How many governments today are attempting the same tricks? Leaders who demonize the media, intellectuals, minorities, or even entire states that don’t vote for them? They seem to believe that if you divide people enough, they’ll be too distracted fighting each other to notice the real problems—poverty, corruption, unemployment, and failing infrastructure.
What they don’t realize is that history has a merciless sense of humor. The very mobs they incite eventually turn against them. The very divisions they create eventually eat them up. When you carve a nation into little islands of hate, you soon find yourself stranded on one, with no one left to rule but a few seagulls.
Governments that unite people, even in their differences, last.
Those that divide? Well, they make for fascinating history lessons.
And history, as we all know, has no sympathy for slow learners…!
Robert Clements is a newspaper columnist and author. He blogs at www.bobsbanter.com and can be reached at bobsbanter@gmail.com
