Although both federal and confederate governments are multilateral systems of government that entail a central government as well as smaller state or municipal governments, a federal system assigns more power to the central government, whereas a confederate system reserves most of the power for the states. In a confederation, the central government has no power to tax the people or enforce laws.
In a federation, the central government and the smaller states or municipalities work in agreement but are separate from one another. The powers of the central government and the states are typically enumerated in some type of document, such as a constitution. Conversely, a confederation is basically an alliance between states or nations that agree to work together toward common interests but still retain their individual powers of governance.
The United States utilizes a federal system. The federal government is granted specific powers by the U.S. Constitution, and any powers not granted to the federal government within the Constitution are granted to the states. The states retain some level of independence but are still subject to the governance of the federal government. However, if the United States operated as a confederation, the situation would be reversed. Each state would have the power to override federal power as it saw fit.Learn More
A republic government is a state in which the ultimate power is vested in the people who vote, and that power is carried out by representatives chosen by the citizens. It is a state in which the government leader is voted upon rather then ascending by inheritance or appointment.Full Answer >
The Articles of Confederation, the document that outlined how the United States would be governed prior to the Constitution, was written in 1775 on the principle of individual state independence and gave no power to the central government. The Articles outlined a loose alliance of sovereign states rather than a country, but because the central government could not even levy taxes, the Constitution was drafted in 1787.Full Answer >
A confederate government is a group of states, nations or territories that are joined together by a central government that has limited powers of authority. With a weaker central government, the individual state or nation governments retain a strong sense of independence.Full Answer >
Centralized federalism revolves around the idea that the federal government should be the one setting national policy, and the state and local governments must be the ones to carry out these policies. Great Britain and France are examples of a centralized federalism.Full Answer >