There are different forces that keep states together, but when there are stronger forces that pull them apart, the state can break up into several states. Devolution is when power is transferred from the central government to subnational levels of government along regional lines. In this live review, we’ll look at several examples, mostly across Europe, of devolutionary forces that have led to both successful and (so far) unsuccessful attempts for independence of smaller states from larger states such as in Spain, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. We will also be looking at federal vs. unitary states.