Democratic Politics


Chapter : 2. Federalism

Routes through which federations have been formed

Routes through which federations have been formed :
The exact balance of power between the central and the state government depends mainly on the historical context in which the federation was formed. There are two kinds of routes.
1. Coming together federation :
(A) It is the first route of the formation of federalism. It involves independent states coming together on their own to form a bigger unit.
(B) It tries to increase their security by pooling sovereignty and retaining identity.
(C) All the constituent units usually have equal power.
(D) Example - U.S.A., Switzerland, Australia.
2. Holding Together Federalism :
(A) It is the second route of the formation of federalism where a large power or country decides to divide its power between the constituent states and national government.
(B) The central government tends to be more powerful vis-a-vis the states.
(C) Example - India, Belgium, Spain.
The constitution declared India as a union of states. Although it did not use the word federation. The Indian union is based on the principle of federalism.
The union government or the central government represents the Union of India and the state governments. Later a third tier of federation was added in the form of Panchayats and Municipalities. The constitution contains three lists.

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