Abstract
It is not at all clear in the modern world whether federations have a glorious future, or a glorious future behind them. In the European Union we see states taking steps, albeit with some misgivings, to establishing a degree of federal organisation from what is at present an essentially confederal position. In some states, as in Britain, there is a perceptible movement towards a federation some time in the future composed of England, Scotland and Wales. Some established federations like Switzerland, Germany and the United States seem relatively stable, though it must be said that the unitary elements in these systems are pronounced. Canada may well undergo a sea change if Quebec decides in the end to secede, and Belgium has become a federation in reality. The former Czechoslovakia abandoned federation for the complete independence of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and amicably so, which is unusual. As we well know the Yugoslav federation has been, and still is, in dire trouble. Federation, we might say, is certainly a safety valve in certain circumstances, especially when a unitary state is seen to be too oppressive for the cultural and political aspirations of ethnic or others types of groups. Yet a federation does not necessarily satisfy the needs it seeks to meet. As a generalisation for discussion it might be suggested that federations made from the top down, where there is change from a unitary state, are less stable than those that are made from the bottom upwards: there is likely to be more enthusiasm for the new configuration in the latter than in the former case.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal Section | Articles |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | September 1, 1999 |
| Published in Issue | Year 1999 Volume: 4 Issue: 3 |