A government is a body with the authority to Distribution of Power A government is a body with the authority to make laws enforce those laws and interpret the laws.

the general welfare of its people Distribution of Power Governments oversee the general welfare of its people

Governments distribute power through three basic systems. Unitary A confederation Federal

Unitary Systems Give all the power to the central government the central government delegates some duties to smaller political units like cities, but… It retains final authority.

Some countries include… Unitary Systems Some countries include… France Italy Japan South Korea Kenya

Confederation A loose alliance of countries or other political units like states

Confederation Each unit has final control of its laws and citizens.

Confederation The central government makes decisions only on issues that affect the entire confederation.

Confederation can be unstable because members often want to do things their own way

Confederation Examples The Confederate States of America British Commonwealth of Nations

Federal Divide power between the central government and the government of smaller political units like states.

Federal Most federal systems give a lot of power to the lower governments to handle local affairs.

Federal The central government handles issues that concern the entire country, like… maintaining armed forces negotiating treaties with foreign countries.

Some countries include… Federal Some countries include… The United States Canada Mexico Brazil

Let’s Review

Which government system gives all the power to the central government? Confederation Unitary Federal

The Answer is Unitary

Confederation Unitary Federal Which system divides power between the central government and smaller units like states? Confederation Unitary Federal

The Answer is Federal

Confederation Unitary Federal Which system is a loose alliance of countries or other political units like states? Confederation Unitary Federal

The Answer is Confederation