Systems of Government in the US and Canada

The federal system of the United States represents the constitutional division of power between the country’s state governments and the federal government. Throughout the history of the United States’ development, especially since the end of the American Civil War, power has experienced a shift from the states toward the national government (McPherson). When it comes to the difference between unitary and confederal systems, in a federal one, a national government and state governments share their power. However, in a unitary system, the national government is responsible for exercising all power. In a confederation, the states have the majority of power.

Besides the United States, Canada is a democracy that also has a federal system of government. It is a federation, the power in which is divided between the National Government of Canada and ten provincial governments, which results in eleven systems in total. Norway is a country with a unitary system of government, the authority of which is based on the three-level model. The power of the regional and local bodies is allocated on the basis of the Local Government Act. Finally, Switzerland is a country that has historically referred to itself as a confederation (Caramel 145). The power in the country is subjected to three legal jurisdictions, which include the federal, canton, and municipality levels. Countries usually adopt federalism because they tend to originate as separate political states that joined together into one country (Orvis and Drogus 89). However, because they were unwilling to give up the power that they had previously had when being independent, they choose to preserve autonomy so they could run their own affairs rather than being dictated by the central government.

Works Cited

Cramel, Frederick. “Switzerland: Federalism Triumphant.” Current History, vol. 16, no. 91, pp. 145-150.

McPherson, James. “Out of War, a New Nation.” National Archives, vol. 42, no. 1, 2010. Web.

Orvis, Stephen, and Carol Ann Drogus. Introducing Comparative Politics: The Essentials. SAGE Publications, 2019.

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DemoEssays. 2023. "Systems of Government in the US and Canada." March 9, 2023. https://demoessays.com/systems-of-government-in-the-us-and-canada/.

1. DemoEssays. "Systems of Government in the US and Canada." March 9, 2023. https://demoessays.com/systems-of-government-in-the-us-and-canada/.


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DemoEssays. "Systems of Government in the US and Canada." March 9, 2023. https://demoessays.com/systems-of-government-in-the-us-and-canada/.