What makes a country a federation

Federalism was redefined by the two world wars and the emergence of the U. These events had an impact on the ability of the federal government, and of the executive in particular, to exercise governmental authority. In this period the powers of the presidency grew substantially.

The United States is a federal constitutional republic which consists of 50 States, one federal district Washington DC , one incorporated territory Palmyra Atoll , and a number of inhabited and uninhabited territories.

The president is head of the executive branch, which is independent of the legislature. Legislative power is vested in the bicameral Congress, which is composed of the Senate the upper house and the House of Representatives the lower house.

The judiciary consists of the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts, with their role to interpret the U. Constitution, federal laws, and regulations, and to resolve disputes between the executive and legislative branches. State governments also have significant authority in their respective states. The European Union: Politics and Policies. Westview Press: Boulder Colorado, Back to Activities.

Extension: Is the EU a federation or a confederation? Introduction Map of Europe What is Europe? What is the EU? Extension: What is Regional Integration? These videos explain the core components of a federal constitution and some of the advantages and disadvantages of choosing such a system.

They are meant to simplify often complex concepts, to make them understandable to the general public. Some of the key messages in the videos include the following:. Countries come in all shapes and sizes. They are made up of many different types of people from many different backgrounds. How do we ensure that all these diverse people get sufficient political representation?

One solution is a political system called federalism. But what exactly is federalism? And why might a country consider adopting a federal system? The answer is that federalism provides a practical way for groups of people who have some things in common, but also some important differences, to live together. They do this by sharing powers over the things they have in common — like international trade, for example. At the same time these groups maintain some level of self-rule over those things that concern their own interests, for example, education, primary healthcare and broadcasting.

It is also often chosen by countries which have a very diverse population, living in different parts of the country, who wish to preserve their own identities. Their diversity could be ethnic, religious or linguistic. Belgium, Switzerland and Nepal are such countries. As a response to these challenges of size and diversity, federalism can take various forms.

And, since no single country is exactly like another, no federal system is exactly alike either. Nevertheless, federalism does have some distinct, defining characteristics which make it different from other forms of decentralisation.