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unitary state, a system of political organization in which most or all of the governing power resides in a centralized government, in contrast to a federal state. A brief treatment of the unitary state follows. For additional discussion, see Political system: Unitary nation-states; federation; confederation.
- Federalism
In other systems, such as those of Canada and Latin America,...
- Federation
A contrast between federation and confederation—words...
- Unitary and federal systems
Depending on how a constitution organizes power between the...
- Federalism
- Examples of Unitary States
- Unitary States vs. Federations
- Unitary States vs. Authoritarian States
- Pros and Cons
Of the 193 member countries of the United Nations, 165 are unitary states. The United Kingdom and France are two well-recognized examples.
The opposite of a unitary state is a federation. A federation is a constitutionally organized union or alliance of partially self-governing states or other regions under a central federal government. Unlike the largely powerless local governments in a unitary state, the states of a federation enjoy some degree of independence in their internal affa...
Unitary states should not be confused with authoritarian states. In an authoritarian state, all governing and political power is vested in a single individual leader or small, elite group of individuals. The leader or leaders of an authoritarian state are not chosen by the people, nor are they constitutionally responsible to the people. Authoritari...
The unitary state is the most common form of government in the world. This system of government has its benefits, but as with all schemes of dividing power between government and the people, it also has drawbacks.
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The United States is one example of a federal republic. The U.S. Constitution grants specific powers to the national government while retaining other powers for the states. For example, the federal government can negotiate treaties with other countries while state and local authorities cannot.
Nov 21, 2023 · Lesson. Transcript. Author Madison Mateski View bio. Instructor Mary Deering View bio. Understand the system of unitary government. Learn the definition of unitary government, and explore...
- What are the main features of a unitary government?A unitary government has all its authority stored in one central government. While a unitary government might have local offices or authorities, th...
- What is the definition of a unitary government?A unitary government has one central power instead of several levels of authority. Unitary governments are the opposite of federal governments, whi...
- What countries have a unitary system?Countries with a unitary system include the United Kingdom, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. Countries with much larger regions, such as the United States,...
- What is an example of a unitary system?The United Kingdom is an example of a unitary system, because the authority for all its subsidiaries (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Irelan...
Bond v. United States, 564 U.S. 211, 222 (2011) ( By denying any one government complete jurisdiction over all the concerns of public life, federalism protects the liberty of the individual from arbitrary power. When government acts in excess of its lawful powers, that liberty is at stake. ); United States v.
In contrast, national governments in unitarysystems retain all sovereign power over state or regional governments. An example of a unitary system is France. The framers of the U.S. Constitution sought to create a federal system that promotes strong national power in certain spheres, yet recognizes that the states are sovereign in other spheres.
