Federalism+In-Depth

In-Depth: Federalism

A Federalist society is one in which the authority of the nation is divided between sub-units and a center. The aspect of Federalism which makes it unique to any other form of government is that the sovereignty of the nation is shared between the different units, so each unit is at least partially dependent on the others. For example, in the United States, the national government can enact mandates on the states, which the states are required to comply to. In this case, the states do not have the authority to decide to ignore the order. Within different Federalist societies, power between the branches may be divided in various ways (i.e. the national government can have more power than local governments, or visa versa). However, some sense of dependency always remains. The different levels of government can also interact with each other. For example, sub-units of the government may participate in central decision-making bodies. Today, Federalism has become very favorable to many countries as a political philosophy. Federalism can be a unique solution to problems of populations being divided by cultural differences. Federalism is usually a beneficial solution because it can satisfy many different interests within a country without causing conflict or dividing the country. The United States was the first example of a true Federalist society, but many more have followed, such as Canada, India and Germany.

Why You Should Care Federalism is important because it is what is keeping our country, along with many others, structured and fair. Without state and local governments, it would be much more difficult to satisfy the diverse needs and wants of the entire country. Many controversial issues today such as gay marriage have been partially settled by allowing the states themselves to decide which policy is best for their citizens. On the other hand, Federalism also allows citizens of the country to unite and participate on a national level. These two aspects enable societies to be both diverse and united. 