strife
n. uncountablen. angry or violent disagreement between people or groups. It describes a situation where there is a lot of trouble and no peace.
n. bitter conflict, struggle, or discord between opposing parties. Often implies a lack of harmony within a community or family.
The country suffered through years of civil strife.
The new management policies caused a great deal of internal strife among the long-term employees.
Historians often point to economic inequality as the primary catalyst for the social strife that eventually led to the collapse of the ruling dynasty.
From Middle English strif, stryf, striffe, from Old French estrif, noun derived from estriver, from Frankish *strīban; compare Dutch strijven. More at strive.
Commonly paired with adjectives like 'civil', 'internal', or 'political'.