What are the main differences between federal unitary and confederal systems?
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Examples (According to Wikipedia) Toltec Empire, League of Mayapan, Crown of Aragon, Confederation of Madya-as, Old Swiss Confederacy, New England Confederation, Aro Confederacy, United States of America (1781-1789), Confederation of the Rhine and many more Canada, United States of America, Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia, Russia, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Malaysia, Australia, Sudan, and many more
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 When governments are formed over large geographic areas or nations, it often becomes necessary to create smaller regional governments (states) as well. Political scientists have identified three basic types of national governments by evaluating the amount of power and authority given to the central (national) governments and to the regional governments (states/provinces). These can be classified in the form of unitary governments, federations, and confederations. Each of these types of governments can be found operating in the world today, and each is a potentially successful means of structuring a state. They are separated by the role of the central government. Unitary Government In a unitary system of government, the central government holds most of the power. The unitary state still has local and regional governmental offices, but these are under the direct control or authority of the central government. The United Kingdom is one example of a unitary nation. Parliament holds the governing power in the U.K., granting power to and removing it from the local governments when it sees fit. France is also a unitary government. The national government rules over the various provinces or departments. These local bodies carry out the directions of the central government, but never act independently. Federalism is marked by a sharing of power between the central government and state, provincial, or local governing bodies. The United States is one example of a federal republic. The U.S. Constitution grants specific powers to the national government while retaining other powers for the states. For example, the federal government can negotiate treaties with other countries while state and local authorities cannot. State governments have the power to set and enforce driving laws while the federal government lacks that ability. The United States, Canada, and Germany are just some examples of modern federalist systems. A confederation has a weak central authority that derives all its powers from the state or provincial governments. The states of a confederation retain all the powers of an independent nation, such as the right to maintain a military force, print money, and make treaties with other national powers. The United States began its nationhood as a confederate state, under the Articles of Confederation. However, the central government was too weak to sustain the burgeoning country. Therefore, the founding fathers shifted to a federal system when drafting the Constitution. A contemporary example of a confederation is the Commonwealth of Independent States, which is comprised of several nations that were formerly part of the Soviet Union. These nations formed a loose partnership to enable them to form a stronger national body than each individual state could maintain. Comparing Types of GovernmentOne has only to look at the advantages and disadvantages of each system to see the greatest differences among them. In a unitary system, laws and policies throughout the state are commonly shared, laws are more easily passed since they need only be approved by the central government, and laws are rarely contradictory since there is only one body making those laws. There are disadvantages of this type of government. The central government may lose touch with or control over a distant province or too much power in the central authority could result in tyranny (governmental abuse of its authority). In a federal system, a degree of autonomy is given to the individual states while maintaining a strong central authority and the possibility of tyranny is very low. Federal systems still have their share of power struggles, such as those seen in the American Civil War. Confederate governments are focused on states rights and the needs of the people in each state. The government tends to be more in touch with its citizenry, and tyranny is much less commonly seen. Unfortunately, confederations often break apart due to internal power struggles and lack the resources of a strong centralized government. COMPARING THE SYSTEMS OF NATIONAL, STATE, GOVERNMENT RELATIONSHIPSSystem Level of Centralization Strength Weakness Unitary (e.g., China, France, Japan, United Kingdom) High Sets uniform policies that direct the entire nation Disregards local differences Federal (e.g., United States, Germany, Australia, Canada Medium Gives local governments more power Sacrifices national uniformity on some issues Confederate (e.g., Confederate States of America, Belgium) Low Gives local/regional governments almost complete control Sets no significant uniform national policies Study/Discussion Questions 1. Describe the characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages of each of the following forms of government. BASIC TYPES OF GOVERNMENT BY POWER DISTRIBUTION Characteristics Advantages Disadvantages UNITARY FEDERAL CONFEDERATE 2. What are the two basic forms of democratic republic described in the text? How are they similar? How are they different? FORMS OF DEMOCRATIC REPUBLICS FORMS OF GOVERNMENT CHARACTERISTICS SIMILARITIES/DIFFERENCES Case Study The United Nations is an international organization founded after World War II in 1945 by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations, and promoting social progress, better living standards, and human rights. Due to its unique international character and the powers vested in its founding Charter, the organization can take action on a wide range of issues, and provide a forum for its 193 member states to express their views through the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, and other bodies and committees 3. How would you describe the power distribution of this organization (unitary, federal, or confederation)? Explain your answer. Sources: "Democratic presidential republic." en.Wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic%20presidential%20republic Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0. "Introduction to Sociology/Politics." en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Introduction_to_Sociology/Politics#Types_of_Governments Wikibooks CC BY-SA 3.0. "theocracy." en.wiktionary.org/wiki/theocracy Wiktionary CC BY-SA 3.0 "oligarchy." en.wiktionary.org/wiki/oligarchy Wiktionary CC BY-SA 3.0. Source: Boundless. "The U.S. Political System." Boundless Sociology. Boundless 02 Jul 2014. Retrieved 23 Dec 2014 from https://www.boundless.com/sociology/textbooks/boundless-sociology-textbook/government-15/the-u-s-political-system-116/the- u-s-political-system-644-331/ "Democratic presidential republic."0 This page titled 3.9: Federal, Confederate, and Unitary Government is shared under a CK-12 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by CK-12 Foundation via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request. What are the main differences between federal unitary and confederal systems quizlet?What are the main differences between federal, unitary, & confederal systems? A federal system divides power over people from smaller units that are collectively under larger groups of power. A unitary system has one ultimate authority. A confederal system contains independent states that join forces.
What are the main differences between unitary and federal constitutions?A unitary constitution is a constitution in which the power is concentrated in the form of a central government which has ultimate power and authority over its jurisdiction. A federal constitution, however, splits the distribution of power between a central government and other smaller governments.
What is the difference between unitary and federal systems?In a unitary government, all the powers of government are vested in the central government whereas in a federal government, the powers of government are divided between the centre and the units.
What are the similarities between federal unitary and confederal systems?Despite their differences, all governments regardless of the system (whether unitary, federal, or confederal), share a key similarity. In all of them, the national government controls the powers of defense and foreign relations.
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