Governance 1 (Division of Power)

SSsCG4: The student will compare and contrast various forms of government. The student will tell how different types of governments are the same and how they are different.

A. The Student will describe the ways government systems distribute power: unitary, confederation, and federal.

How unitary, confederation, and federal governments the same? E.Q. How unitary, confederation, and federal governments the same? How are they different?

Each country must decide how to set up its government. Countries must decide how to organize their government And how to distribute the powers of the government

Dividing (distributing) Power Governments can have all the power held by one central government, or They can spread the powers out to lower levels of government Governments may be unitary, confederation, or federal

Unitary In a unitary government, the central government has all the power. This type of government has a constitution that outlines the duties, powers, and people of the central government.

The central government can give power to or create lower levels of government, like states. This power may be changed or taken back at any time

Confederation A confederation is a group of states or communities that come together to support each other and to work on common problems.

In a confederation, the participants (states) are voluntary, equal members. This means that the power of the government is divided equally between the members of the confederation

Requirements for Confederation Members They must meet with each other before taking action on an issue No member of the confederation can be forced by the others to do something it doesn’t want to Members of the confederation may choose to leave the confederation

Federal The federal system has a constitution which explains the rights, responsibilities, and duties of the central government and the states. The constitution of a federal government is what divides the governmental powers between the central government and the lower levels of government

Unlike the unitary form of government, in a federal government the central authority does not have the right to take back the power of the states, choose the state’s leaders or get rid of the lower levels of government.

The United States is a federal government. Our government’s power is divided between a central authority (based in Washington D.C.) and the individual state governments Our constitution outlines what powers the central authority has and what powers the state governments have The central government cannot take away the powers given to the states by the constitution

Review Unitary: Government in which power is held by one central authority Confederation: Voluntary association of independent states that agree to work together towards some common purpose (sharing power equally) Federal: Government in which power is divided between one central and several regional (state) authorities

Assessment 1. Which phrase BEST describes a confederation? A. Partners B. Divided Power C. A strong federation D. A strong central government

Assessment 2. Which phrase BEST describes a unitary government? A. Partners B. Divided Power C. A strong federation D. A strong central government

Assessment 3. Which phrase BEST describes a federal government? A. Partners B. Divided Power C. A strong federation D. A strong central government