Gov Ch4-1

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Gov Ch4-1

Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.

The United States started with a confederal system under the Articles of Confederation. Today, we have a federal system. In most other countries, neither of these systems is used. Most other countries have a unitary system of government. These three systems of government are discussed

The Unitary System

A unitary system is a centralized system in which state and local governments exercise only those powers given to them by the central, or national, government, which holds ultimate authority. Japan is a nation that uses a unitary system. The Japanese national government, for example, makes the most important decisions for all schools within the nation and even decides the subjects that must be taught nationwide. France today uses a modified form of the unitary system. Within France, there are regional political units, called departments, as well as municipalities, or local governments. Each of these regional and local governing units has its own elected and appointed officials . But decisions made by those officials can, for the most part, be overruled by the national government. Also, the national government in Paris can cut off the funding of many departmental and municipal government activities. Finally, all policies related to police, land use, welfare, and education are determined by the national government, although they are carried out by the departmental and municipal entities

What type of government system did the U.S. starty with

a.	unitary system	c.	pure democratic system
b.	confederal system	d.	pure republican system

What type of system does the U.S. have today

a.	confederal system	c.	pure democratic system
b.	federal system	d.	unitary system

What type of system do they have in France and Japan?

a.	federal system	c.	unitary system
b.	confederal system	d.	none of these

In a unitary system of government, who has most of the power?

a.	the central (national) government	c.	the colonial governments
b.	the state governments	d.	the city governments

A Confederal System

A confederal system, or confederation, is a league of independent states. The central government handles only those matters of common concern expressly delegated to it by the member states. It cannot pass laws that directly apply to individuals unless the member states explicitly support such laws . Switzerland is a nation that currently uses a confederal system of government. Certain international organizations, such as the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), also follow a confederal model.

Who has all the power in a confederal system?

a.	the United Nations	c.	the central government
b.	none of these	d.	the members or individual states

In a confederal system, can the central government pass laws on its own without consuting the member states?

yes

The Federal System

The federal system is a compromise between the confederal and unitary forms of government. Authority is usually divided between national and state or other regional governments by a written constitution, as in the United States. All levels of governmentnational, state, and local-have the power to pass laws that directly influence the people. The national government's laws are supreme, but it cannot overrule state and local laws unless they conflict with national laws. This is what makes a federal system different from a unitary system.

Keep in mind that federalism and democracy do notmean the same thing. Federalism is a system of government in which powers are divided between national and regional governments, such as state governments . Democracy is a system in which the people are involved, either directly or indirectly, in the governing process .

Which statement is true about the federal system?

a.	all of the power is in the central government	c.	all of the power is in the state governments
b.	power is shared between the federal and state governments	d.	Nazi Germany is an example of a federal system

The U.S. has a federal system. Can the U.S. government pass laws without the approval of the state governments?

a.	yes	c.	there is no way to tell
b.	no	d.	the U.S. government never passes any laws

Why did the framers of the Constitution choose a federal system? You already know that political compromise played a role. In addition, specific characteristics of the states lent themselves to a federal system.

Political Compromise

The Articles of Confederation failed because they did not allow for a strong enough national government. Many of the framers of the Constitution were therefore determined to strengthen the national government. Others, however, still feared that individual rights . They favored small government close to the people. The natural outcome was a compromise-a federal system. The appeal of federalism was that it retained state traditions and local power while establishing a strong national government capable of handling common problems, such as national defense

Why did government in the U.S. under the Articles of Confederation fail?

a.	the states did not have enough power	c.	the North had too much power
b.	the South had too much power	d.	the central government did not have enough powr

10.

Our federal system is a compromise between those who wanted a strong central government and those who wanted strong state governments.

a.	true	c.	neither true nor false
b.	false

Size and Regional Isolation

Even in the days when the United States was made up of only thirteen colonies, its geographic area was larger than that of France or England . Travel was slow, and communication was difficult . Many regions were isolated . The news of any particular political decision might take several weeks to reach everyone. Therefore, even if the framers of the Constitution had wanted a unitary system (and most of them did not), such a system would have been unworkable.

11.

What was the effect of size and the isolation of the much of the U.S. on the type of system we chose?

a.	it made the unitary system impossible	c.	it made federalism impossible
b.	it made the unitary system more likely	d.	none of these

Differences in Political Cultures

We have always been a nation of different subcultures. The Pilgrims who founded New England, the people who worked in the agricultural society of the South, and the people who populated the Middle Atlantic states differed greatly from one another. The groups that founded New England were religious in orientation, while the groups that populated the Middle Atlantic states were more business oriented . Those that populated the agricultural society of the South were more individualistic than the other groups; that is, they were less inclined to accept the authority of the national government.

A unitary system of government for a nation composed of numerous political subcultures is difficult to imagine. A federal system of government, in contrast, allows state and local governments to create laws that serve the interests of particular subcultures.

12.

What type of system works best with a nation composed of many subcultures and different groups of citizens?

a.	a unitary system	c.	an authoritarian system
b.	a federal system	d.	a system that ties to eleminate minority groups