Unification and disintegration
1. to unite | to unify (1) [transitive] to combine people, groups, or countries so that they will work together объединять, соединять: Our goal is to unite the opposition parties and defeat the President. | We want to forge a policy that unites, not divides, people. | They sought to unify Europe by fair means or foul. | He said he would seek to unify the Conservative Party and win the next general election.
(2) [intransitive] to become combined объединяться, соединяться
to unite / unify (to do sth): The two parties have been trying to unite since the New Year. | In 1960, the regions united to form the Somali Republic. | If the party unifies, the bill might become law.
to unite / unify (with sb / sth): If the Byzantine Empire would ever bring itself to unite with the Empire of the West. | the benefits of unifying with the West
to unite against sb: Police chiefs called on the local people to unite against the drug dealers. | Uniting against globalisation is not the same as uniting against capitalism.
to unite behind sb: Party members united behind their leader.
2. united | unified (adjective) объединенный, соединенный: Successive opinion polls have found only around 10% in favour of a united Ireland under present circumstances. | It takes a unified country to mount a consensus foreign policy.
to be / stand united against sb: The two countries were united against a common enemy.
united front единый фронт: Nations of the world must present a united front against terrorists.
3. unification [uncountable] the process of uniting groups or countries, or the fact that they have been united объединение, слияние; воссоединения; консолидация; союз: the unification of Germany / Italy | the unification of East and West Germany | A more complete unification would not be possible.
4. (territorial) integrity [uncountable] (formal) (территориальная) целостность / неприкосновенность (страны): Separatist movements are a threat to the integrity of the nation. | Territorial integrity is a fuzzy concept when there is a dispute over boundaries.
to defend / protect territorial integrity: They have vowed to protect the country's territorial integrity.
to violate territorial integrity: The foreign affairs department has denied claims that territorial integrity has been violated.
to restore territorial integrity: They called for a negotiated settlement restoring the republic's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
5. self-determination [uncountable] the right of a country to be independent, instead of being controlled by a foreign country, and to choose its own form of government самоопределение: The Progressive majority was hostile to the status quo, and advocated national self-determination and political liberalism.
right to / of self-determination право на самоопределение: It is about a principle for which people have been fighting and dying for centuries – the indisputable right to self-determination. | The principle of the right of national self-determination was then extended much more widely.
to achieve / realize self-determination самоопределиться; получить самостоятельность / независимость: Most Progressives were prepared to support the Prussian state as the instrument of achieving national self-determination.
to give / grant self-determination давать / предоставлять право на самоопределение
6. to disintegrate | to break up [intransitive] to become weaker or less united and be gradually destroyed распадаться (на составные части), разрушаться: The nation disintegrated under economic pressures. | Civil war could come if the country breaks up.
to disintegrate / break up into sth: The Ottoman Empire disintegrated into lots of small states. | Whole armies disintegrated into their component individuals and sub-groupings.
7. to break away (from sth) [intransitive] (1) to split (off) from sth to leave a group or political party and form another group, usually because of a disagreement отделиться, выйти (из организации): More than 30 Labour MPs broke away to form a new left-wing party. | They broke away from the national union and set up their own local organization. | The Pan-Africanist Congress split from the ANC in 1959. | A group of extremists split (off) from the Labour Party to form a new "Workers' Communist Party".
(2) to secede (from sth) (formal) to stop being part of a country and form an independent state отделиться, отпасть, отложиться, выйти (из состава страны): Part of the country broke away (from the state) to form a new nation. | During that time, Portugal's colonies broke away from colonial rule. | There is likely to be civil war if the region tries to secede from the country.
8. disintegration | breakup | break-up [uncountable] the division of something such as an organization or country into smaller parts распад, разрушение, дезинтеграция; разделение на составные части: the violent disintegration of Yugoslavia | the breakup of the Soviet Union | At no time did a majority of Czechoslavakia's citizens support the country's break-up.
disintegration / breakup into sth: the disintegration of the Soviet empire into separate republics
9. breakaway (adjective) (1) a breakaway group is a group of people who have separated from a larger group because of a disagreement отделившийся: a breakaway group / party / movement | Three senior politicians have formed a powerful breakaway group.
(2) secessionist (formal) a breakaway area is one that has stopped being part of a country отделившийся, отколовшийся: a military assault on the secessionist republic | Chechen nationalists plan to hold mass demonstrations in Grozny, capital of the breakaway republic.
10. breakaway (from sth) [singular] (1) a time when some people leave a group or organization after a disagreement and start a new group or organization отделение, выход (из организации): He led a breakaway from the Communist Party.
(2) secession (from sth) [uncountable; countable] (formal) a time when a particular area ceases to be part of a country отделение, отпадение, выход (из состава страны): A valley breakaway could require a vote of the people. | It was the lack of democracy and equality which impelled the oppressed to fight for secession. | They want secession from the union, not a new treaty binding them into it.
11. separatist | secessionist [countable] (formal) someone who wants their country to be independent of another country сепаратист, сторонник отделения: a separatist / secessionist movement / group | a separatist / secessionist conflict | Basque separatists | Lithuanian secessionists | The separatists won no seats at the last elections. | The army has come under attack by separatists. | The government is trying to crush a secessionist movement.
12. separatism [uncountable] the beliefs and activities of separatists сепаратизм: Basque separatism
13. to recognize [transitive] to officially agree that a country or organization exists официально / формально признавать (независимость страны, правительство и т. п.)
to recognize a country (as an independent / sovereign state) / state / government / regime: Many countries refused to recognize Macedonia. | The international community has refused to recognize the newly independent nation state. | The UK has refused to recognize the new regime.
to recognize the independence of a country / state: France is on the point of recognizing the independence of the Baltic States.
14. recognition [uncountable] official agreement that a country or organization exists официальное признание (независимости страны или законности правительства)
(the) (diplomatic / international / official / formal) recognition of a country (as an independent / sovereign state): the recognition of Latvia as an independent state | Recognition of Bosnia marked a new stage in the breakup of Yugoslavia. | It's a new country, hoping for diplomatic recognition from the international community.