Help Gov Test: Which nation does not have a strong Federal System?

Question

Which of the following Nations deos not have a strong Federal System?

Canada.
The U.S.
France.
Switzerland.

Answer 1

The correct answer is France.

The US is a classic example of federalism, where power is split between a national government and various regional governments. Canada is federal, although somewhat more nationalized than the US, I would venture. For a long time, Switzerland was a confederation, with very loose associations between regional governments, and little more than a common currency and collective foreign policy to bind them. They have centralized to some degree, but are still federal.

That leaves France. France is more typical of a European state. It is unitary, not federal.

There are three ways that countries structure their levels of government: confederal, federal, or unitary. In a confederation, regional (states/provinces) have almost all of the power, and the national government only has a limited role to set a foreign policy, establish a common currency, and ensure that trade between the states can be facilitated. These are very limited parameters; in many examples (like the USA pre-1789), the confederal government does not even have the power to raise its own monies by taxation.

In a federal system, power is split between the national and regional governments in a balancing act. States/provinces set their own statutes, have their own legislatures, and make their own laws, that do not always match from state to state. The national government has an expanded role in domestic affairs, creating categories of laws and statutes of its own. In federal systems, some powers are reserved only for regional governments while others are given to the national government; a constitution (or basic law) is usually the final decider of who wins in disputes between these levels.

In a unitary system, the national government is always the overriding authority, so long as it conforms to the constitution. Local and regional governments are set to carry out bureaucratic functions (like issuing licenses and permits), and have limited powers connected to these functions, but all of their authority comes from the national government; they do not have independent power. Theoretically, any power that they are given to issue permits or set local regulations can be revoked by the national government if it chooses. Unitary governments are often found in geographically smaller countries, or countries that have relatively homogeneous populations, however, some large countries like China are unitary, as well.

In Europe, France is a major unitary state, as are the United Kingdom, Italy, and Spain. Germany, by the way, is federal.

In the future, do please try to indicate how you've tried to answer the question yourself, and what confuses you, so that people see a good-faith effort to answer, and so that we can better help you to understand why one answer is correct.

Answer 2

All of them but the US. A federal system is a system in which States have power and the central government have power. For instance, the 10th amendment states that whatever the constitution does not explicitly give the central government power over, the states will deal with it. That's why school issues have been typically state governed. In contrast, Canada, France, and Switzerland are governed by their central governments. Every teacher in every classroom in France should be on the same page of the same textbook on the same day.

Answer 3

Switzerland.

Switzerland has a direct democracy. This type of system can overrule the federal government. All of the choices you gave have some sort of federal govt; therefore, I concluded you meant which federal govt had the least amount of power.

Answer 4

Rick,
You really need to study and learn this on your own. I looked back at your previous questions, and they are looking for help with a Govt test. But I guess I'll help out.

The answer is E. none of the above. It's a trick question.

Edit: I know there is no option E. No one here gets my humor. Geeeez!

Answer 5

Switzerland. The various cantons have most of the power.

Answer 6

Good Daze Ahead there is no option "E"...
the answer i got is B, the U.S.