Chapter 03 - Federalism

1. Governmental Structure 1. The single most persistent source of conflict in U.S. politics since the adoption of the Constitution has been the relations between the national and state governments. 2. Today, an effort is underway to reduce national gov’t powers, giving more strength to the states; this effort is known as devolution. 1. Some proposals give states block grants in which states get money that they can spend in any way they want—as long as it is within broad guidelines set by Congress. 3. Federalism is the political system in which local units of government and a national government make final decisions with respect to at least some governmental activities and whose existence is specially protected; both local and national forms of government have their own sovereign powers and some powers that overlap, thus making the two share authority. 1. The United States, Canada, Australia, India, Germany, and Switzerland have federal systems. 2. France, Great Britain, Italy, and Sweden have unitary systems in which the national government can abolish local governments at will and have the final say in all important gov’t matters. 3. Federalism works in practice due to the people; the USSR technically had a “federalist” gov’t, but in reality, the Kremlin controlled the “states.” 1. It takes the commitment of the people to support a slightly independent local gov’t and the same desire from the Congressmen to allow local governments to exist. 4. The national government, while owning sweeping powers, actually exercises most of those powers through state, county, and city governments. 4. To some, federalism means allowing states to block actions, prevent progress, upset national plans, protect powerful local