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Definition: Federal Government from Collins English Dictionary

n

1 the national government of a federated state, such as that of Australia located in Canberra

federal government

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
or federation, government of a union of states in which sovereignty is divided between a central authority and component state authorities. A federation differs from a confederation in that the central power acts directly upon individuals as well as upon states, thus creating the problem of dual allegiance. Substantial power over matters affecting the people as a whole, such as external affairs, commerce, coinage, and the maintenance of military forces, are usually granted to the central government. Nevertheless, retention of jurisdiction over local affairs by states is compatible with the federal system and makes allowance for local feelings. The chief political problem of a federal system of government is likely to be the allocation of sovereignty, because the need for unity among the federating states may conflict with their desire for autonomy. The Greek city-states failed to solve this problem, although religious and political federations were often attempted and the Aetolian and…
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Full text Article federalism

From The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Houghton Mifflin
A system of government in which power is divided between a national (federal) government and various regional governments. As defined by the United States Constitution , federalism is a fundamental aspect of American government, whereby the states are not merely regional representatives of the…
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Full text Article federalism

From Collins Dictionary of Law
a system of government whereby there are at least two levels of government operating simultaneously, exercising autonomous powers. Under such a system the constitution must, and usually does, specify which level of authority has power in which areas and should provide a method of resolving…
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Full text Article federalism

From Palgrave Macmillan Dictionary of Political Thought
1 . A system of government , such as exists in the US, in which a central (or ‘federal’) government, both legislature and executive , exists side by side with state or provincial government, again with both executive and legislative powers. Both federal and state governments will derive what powers…
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Full text Article FEDERALISM

From The Dictionary of Alternatives
A means of achieving voluntary large-scale organizational forms made up of SMALLER units, whilst trying to avoid hierarchy. The most common use of the idea in modern political discourse is as a state comprised a number of self-governing regions, sometimes themselves referred to as states, as in the…
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For many on the left, the federal government is a (cautiously) trusted entity crucial to the well-being of Americans on many levels. From this perspective, the federal government deserves to have the power it needs to govern effectively and do the right thing. For instance, if reducing carbon…
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Full text Article Federal Government

From Dictionary of American Government and Politics
The Constitution forms the foundations of the United States federal government in that it created its basic structure. The federal government carries out roles assigned to it by the Constitution. It has three branches – legislative, judicial, and executive – which, between them, carry out…
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Full text Article federal government

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
or federation, government of a union of states in which sovereignty is divided between a central authority and component state authorities. A federation differs from a confederation in that the central power acts directly upon individuals as well as upon states, thus creating the problem of dual…
| 359 words
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Full text Article Federal Government

From Encyclopedia of American Studies
Articles of Confederation postal stamp. 1977....
The federal government was formed in response to the failure of the Articles of Confederation to address a variety of issues in the early history of the nation. The prevalent fear of tyranny among the leading politicians of the day led to the establishment of a system of government in which power is…
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Full text Article Federal Government

From Encyclopedia of Capital Punishment in the United States
The federal government is a capital punishment jurisdiction. The federal government reenacted its death penalty law after the United States Supreme Court decision in Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238 (1972), in 1988. The federal government has a three-tier criminal legal system. The federal…
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Full text Article FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

From The Handy Answer Book Series: The Handy African American History Answer Book Full text Article POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
A U.S. Representative from New York from 1969 to...
In 1984 Jesse Louis Jackson (1941–) was the first black American to be a viable candidate for the presidential nomination. Jackson was born in South Carolina and educated at the University of Illinois and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College (later University). He was ordained a Baptist…
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