desmembrar

Literally to dismember, and figuratively to break up or dismantle something once whole — desmembrar un imperio (to break up an empire), desmembrar una organización. Common in historical and political writing for the breakup of states, empires, or large structures.

• La guerra terminó por desmembrar el imperio. — The war ended up breaking apart the empire.
• El escándalo desmembró la organización. — The scandal broke apart the organization.
• Los forenses examinaron el cuerpo desmembrado. — The forensic team examined the dismembered body.

Using it lightly for any kind of breakup — desmembrar carries real weight, implying a formerly unified, often large or living whole being violently or dramatically torn apart, not a casual split.