Federalism with a Strong Central Government| Class 11 Polity Notes

Federalism with a Strong Central Government divides power between central and regional governments. It combines a general government with regional governments in a single political system. The Soviet Union was one of the world’s superpowers. But after 1989, it simply disintegrated into several independent countries. One of the major reasons for its dissolution was Russia’s excessive centralization and concentration of power, as well as Russia’s dominance over other regions with independent languages and cultures, such as Uzbekistan.

In this article, we will discuss the Federalism with a Strong Central Government in detail.

Federalism with a Strong Central Government| Class 11 Polity Notes

What Is Federalism?

Federalism is a system of government in which powers have been divided between the centre and its constituent parts such as states or different provinces. It is an institutional mechanism to merge two sets of politics. It means the process binds the central or national level administration and the regional or provincial level administration together.

What Accounts For This Success?

A federal government is a system where power is split between a central government and local or regional governments as set out in the constitution. It consists of three branches including legislative, executive, and judicial. Countries like Austria, India, Iraq, and Germany follow this type of government.

• The Indian Constitution established two types of government: the central government (also known as the union government) for the whole country and state governments for each state or unit.
• Both levels of government have defined roles and duties outlined in the constitution.
• Disputes over the allocation of powers between the central and state governments are resolved by the judiciary through constitutional amendments.
• The constitution clearly outlines which topics are under the control of the central government and which are reserved for the state governments.
• Financial and economic powers are mainly vested in the central government, while state governments have limited sources of revenue.

Federalism With a Strong Central Government

Federalism with a Strong Central Government divides power between a central government and regional governments. It combines a general government with regional governments in a single political system.

• The Indian Constitution aimed to create a strong central government due to India’s vast size and diverse population.
• The framers believed that a federal constitution was necessary to accommodate this diversity.
• A strong central government was seen as crucial to prevent disintegration.
• At the time of independence, India was divided into provinces by the British.
• There were over 500 princely states that needed to be integrated into the new nation or formed into new states.

Key Features Of Federalism with a Strong Central Government

• Federalism divides power between a central government and regional governments, allowing for a dual system of governance.
• Trust, cooperation, mutual respect, and restraint are essential for the effective operation of federalism.
• Federation aims to unify diverse states under a common bond.
• The Indian Constitution accommodates both unitary and federal forms of government.
• It establishes a national government for the entire nation and state governments for each unit or region.
• The Indian Constitution incorporates federal features like a written constitution, a partly rigid and partly flexible structure, and a division of powers between the central and state governments.
• Powers are categorized into the union list, state list, and concurrent list based on subjects.
• The finance commission advises on financial distribution between the center and the states.
• Certain states receive special treatment under provisions like Article 370 for Jammu and Kashmir.
• Powers are clearly outlined in the constitution, including the union list (e.g., defense, foreign affairs), state list (e.g., agriculture, police), concurrent list (e.g., education, trade unions), and residuary powers.
• The central government, with state support, addresses socio-economic challenges.
• Many states and political parties advocate for increased state autonomy.
• The role of the governor, particularly in situations of political differences between the center and state, is contentious.
• Disputes may arise over revenue sharing, interstate disputes, and autonomy demands.
• Some states have special provisions based on their unique social and historical contexts, such as Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram in the eastern region.

FAQs – Federalism with a Strong Central Government Class 11 Notes

What is Federalism with a strong central government class 11?

Federalism is a system of government in which the power is divided between a Central authority and various constituent units of the country. Usually a federation has two levels of government. One is the government for the entire country that is usually responsible for a few subjects of common national interest.

What does federation with a strong Centre mean?

The framers of the Constitution believed that we needed a federal constitution that would allow for diversity. Those who also desired to establish a strong centre to prevent disintegration and bring about social and political change.

Why did we adopt Federalism with a strong central government?

The framers adopted the federal system due to two main reasons – the large size of the country and its sociocultural diversity. They realised that the federal system not only ensures the efficient governance of the country but also reconciles national unity with regional autonomy.

What is the role of central government in Federalism?

The role of a central government is to administer over a nation. As a rule, it must be able to protect its territorial integrity, lay and collect taxes, regulate commerce, and sign foreign treaties.

What are the provisions that create a strong central government class 11?

Articles 33 and 34 have strengthened the powers of the central government by authorising the parliament to protect persons in service of the union. The state governments cannot take disciplinary action nor can remove any administrative officer appointed by the central government.

How can you say that India is a federation with strong Centre?

The central government has the power to frame laws on important functions like defense, finance, external affairs, etc; Centre has overriding authority over the concurrent list and it also has the residuary powers; it has unilateral power to change the area, boundaries of states; Power to amend Constitution.

Why do we need a strong Centre Class 11?

Indian independence came with the partition of India which threatened the nation’s unity. The Constitution framers felt that only a strong centre could maintain the unity of India. Socio-economic Problems of the Country: The Five Year Plans would not have been successful without a strong Central authority.

Which federal system has a strong Centre in India?

The Indian federal system is based on the ‘Canadian model’ and not on the ‘American model’. The ‘Canadian model’ differs fundamentally from the ‘American model’ in so far as it establishes a very strong centre.

How is central government more powerful than state government class 11?

The central government is more powerful than the state government because the State government has less power in front of the state. The central government has the control to change the name and boundaries of any territory, but the state doesn’t have this power.

Is India a federal country with a strong central government?

India is a federal system but with more tilt towards a unitary system of government. It is sometimes considered a quasi-federal system as it has features of both a federal and a unitary system. Article 1 of the Indian Constitution states, ‘India, that is Bharat, shall be a union of states’.

Who wants a strong central government?

The Federalists, led by Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton, wanted a strong central government, while the Anti-Federalists, led by Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, advocated states’ rights instead of centralized power.

What is required to make India a strong federation?

The Indian Constitution sets up a federal structure for the government of Indian and states it as “Union of States”. To make the federal structure more strong there is a need for greater cooperation between the state government and the national government.

How many types of government are there in federalism?

Usually, a federation has two levels of government. One is the government for the entire country that is usually responsible for a few subjects of common national interest. The others are governments at the level of provinces or states that look after much of the day-to-day administering of their state.