Student Handout

Government Systems: Unitary, Confederate, and Federal Systems

We can look at governmental systems as a continuum from a unitary type to a confederacy with federalism sitting in the middle. The unitary model structures power in such a way that all decision making rests in the hands of the central government. This means that decisions flow from the central or national government to the local provinces or local entities. There is a uniformity in the decisions and they apply equally across the country. At the other end of the spectrum lies the confederate system. system under the Articles of Confederation was an example confederate government as was the Confederacy. Power rests in the local entities, like states, and the central or national government can only do what the confederate association allows it to. The basic assumption is the government closest to the people would be better fit to understand what needs to be done.

France has a unitary government.

First national flag of The the Confederate States of a of America.

The federal model sits in between. This model has a strong central government, but also strong local governments as well. Specific powers reside in the central government, specific The United States is an powers reside in the local governments, and specific powers are example of a federal shared between the two. In theory this model would provide model. uniformity when necessary, a strength of the unitary system, but allow for diversity and local rule when needed, the strength of a confederate system. The key to making such a system to work would be in knowing what powers or decisions need to be centralized to make sure the nation works smoothly, and what powers or decisions need to be left in the hand of local or regional entities so that the specific needs of the people are met. This is not an easy task. In fact the nature of federalism is in constant refinement, and many cases that come to Supreme Court involve how powers of the states and national government should operate.

Source: http://www.npc.edu/pos222/content/module05/m5_l03.htm