Federalism

Federalism

Equal authority

A system of government with central government and state governments is called federal. The Central Government has certain responsibilities and powers. Similarly, state governments also have certain responsibilities and powers. The concept of federalism is that the central and state governments should operate within their limited jurisdiction. As the powers of the government have to be defined in such a constitution, the constitution becomes important.

Special if...

The specialty of federalism is that the central government and the state governments cannot control each other and operate with equal powers.

Big weakness...

Federalism is strong only if the states are balanced without disparities in population, territory and economic resources. Imbalance can undermine the strength of the federation.

Around 25 countries like India, USA, Brazil, Germany have different types of federal systems.

Is India a federal state?

India has central government and state governments. The constitution also contains elements of federalism. But the central government has the power to control the state governments. Therefore, it cannot be called full federalism.

The United States of America is the best example of absolute federalism. In the United States, the powers of the central government are limited and the rest of the powers are given to the state governments.

Federalism and the United States Constitution

Federalism and the United States Constitution: A federalism is a unitary system of government in which there is a single, central, or "central" government in which a confederation of states or regional government units such as the states are combined into a political confederation. In this context, federalism can be defined as a system of government in which powers are divided between two levels of equal status. For example, in the United States, the federal system created by the U.S. Constitution divides powers between the national government and the various state and territory governments.

How did federalism come into being?

Although Americans today embrace federalism, its inclusion in the Constitution did not cause significant controversy.

The so-called Great Debate on Federalism took place on May 25, 1787, when 55 delegates representing 12 of the 13 US states met in Philadelphia for the Constitutional Convention. New Jersey was the only state not to send a team.

The main goal of the convention was to amend the Articles of Confederation adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, shortly after the end of the Revolutionary War.

As the nation's first written constitution, the Articles of Confederation provided for a decidedly weak federal government.

The most obvious of these weaknesses are: Each state — regardless of its population — got only one vote in Congress.

There was only one chamber of Congress and the Senate.

All legislation requires a 9/13 Congressional majority vote.

Members of Congress were appointed by state legislatures rather than elected by the people.

Congress has no power to impose taxes or to regulate foreign and international commerce. There is no executive power to enforce laws passed by Congress.

There is no Supreme Court or lower national court system.

Amendments to the Articles of Confederation require a unanimous vote of the states.

Weaknesses of confederations resulted in conflicts between states, especially trade and tariffs between states. Delegates to the Constitutional Convention believed that the new treaty they had drafted would not prevent such disputes. However, the new constitution, finally signed by the Founding Fathers in 1787, had to be ratified by at least nine of the 13 states to take effect. It will be more difficult than the document's proponents expected.

A great discussion that is powerful

As one of the most striking aspects of the Constitution, the concept of federalism was considered innovative and controversial in 1787. The sharing of powers between coalitions of national and state governments was in stark contrast to the "unitary" system of government that had prevailed in Great Britain for centuries. Under such unitary systems, the national government allows local governments very limited powers to control themselves or their residents. It is not surprising, therefore, that the Articles of Confederation would be handed over to a weak national government so soon after the despotic cooperation of Britain's colonial America.

Newly independent Americans, including some who worked on drafting the new Constitution, distrusted a strong national government—a distrust that resulted in a great deal of debate.

During the Constitutional Convention, and later during state ratification, major debates over federalism pitted Federalists against Anti-Federalists.

Led by James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, the Federalists favored a strong national government, while the Anti-Federalists, led by Virginia's Patrick Henry, advocated a weaker US government leaving more power to the states. Opponents of the new constitution argued that the union of the federal system promoted a corrupt government, with three separate branches constantly entangled in each other's control. Additionally, Anti-Federalism fueled fears that a strong national government might allow the president of the United States to act as a virtual king.

In defending the new constitution, German President James Madison wrote in the "Federal Papers" that the system of government created in the document was "neither purely national nor purely federal." Madison argued that it would act as its own sovereign state with the power to override the laws of the Confederacy. In fact, the Articles of Confederation stated that “Each State shall have its sovereignty, independence, self-reliance

- federal man