How Governments Share Power
Three ways governments share power are federal, unitary, and confederation.
Federal
A federal form of government has two parts. One part is the national (central) government. It
has power over the country's people and institutions. The second part is the local government.
It has whatever power the national government does not cover. National laws are the same
all over the country. Local laws vary from place to place. The United States has a federal
form of government.
Unitary
A unitary form of government has one part. That one part is the national (central) government.
It has all the power. Local governments are picked by the central government. They have to
follow the central government's rules. France, Italy, and the United Kingdom use the unitary
form of government.
Unitary governments are their country's only government. Unitary countries pick people to
govern local regions. They are not elected. Because they are chosen by the central
government, they do not act on their own. The laws and rules are the same from city to city. If
changes need to be made, they are approved by officials in the national capital.
Confederate
A confederate form of government has only one part. The power is in the hands of the local
government. There might be a central government, but the local government tells it what to
do. A local government could ignore a central government. Then the central government
would have to take it to court to make it obey.
One kind of problem that a confederate government can face is that each state could print its
own money along with the money printed by the central government. That could be confusing!
The United Nations is an example of a form of confederate government. It is a group of
countries that meet and work together.
References
http://www.ehow.com/info_8317975_advantages-federalism.html
http://www.ehow.com/info_8441603_characteristics-confederate-government.html
http://www.reference.com/motif/Society/unitary-government
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Venn Diagram: Compare and Contrast the 3 Ways Governments Share Power
Federal
Confederate
Confederate
Unitary