Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
centralism

centralism

1 7.5
A system that puts most political power in one government
  • noun
  • /ˈsɛntrəlɪzəm/
translation icon : centralismo
  • The 28 June 1921 Vivodvan constitution of the future Yugoslavia, for instance, reflected the victory of Serbian centralism to the detriment of the Croatians and the Slovenes.
  • democratic centralism
  • political centralism

Examples

  • According to its 2001 Constitution, the party operates on the principle of democratic centralism, its highest authority being the quadrennial National Convention.

    Blog text (31)

  • The laender demand a voice in ceding areas of responsibility to supranational authorities, and assurances against European centralism.

    Academic text (1991)

  • Although in "democratic centralism" debate is encouraged, individuals are expected to go along with the majority decision.

    Blog text (5)

  • The first and perhaps most noticeable of these is centralism.

    Academic text (1997)

  • We forget that Soviet centralism, based on fear, was essentially impossible to reproduce in different political and cultural circumstances.

    Academic text (1991)

  • The Front is organized along the Leninist model of democratic centralism.

    Academic text (1991)

  • Their autonomy was impermissible in an organization based on democratic centralism.

    Academic text (1995)

  • Urban and political centralism have been a tradition in Mexican society since the Aztec Empire.

    Academic text (1997)

  • The restorationists want to restore the Roman centralism typical of the 19th century, a centralism that the majority of the Fathers at Vatican II wanted to overcome.

    Academic text (2002)

  • In a system of centralism, local governments often lose power to a strong central authority.

Synonyms

statism
vscentralism
  • Formal
8 9.1

A political belief that the government controls most public life and the economy

focuses on concentrating authority centrally often at the expense of local bodies
centralization
vscentralism
  • US
7 6.3

The act of putting control and decisions under one main office

is a political system concentrating power in a central government over local bodies
etatism
vscentralism
9.9

A political system where the state controls much of the economy and society

highlights concentrating power in the national government reducing local authority

Antonyms

decentralization
7 6.8

Giving local offices and authorities more power to make decisions

How Centralized

centralization
  • US
7 6.3
centralism
1 7.5
localism
1 7.2

Surface Forms

centralism singular
centralisms plural

Morphology

centralism = central (transparent) = central + ism

Formed by adding the noun-forming suffix '-ism' to the adjective 'central', yielding a doctrine or system related to centralization; the meaning is directly derivable from 'central'.

Etymology

The word centralism comes from central, which is from center and means 'at the center', and the ending -ism means 'a system' or 'a belief'. So centralism is the idea or system of keeping power and control in one central place instead of in local areas.