Question

Which among the following are examples of 'coming together' federations?
A.Belgium, Switzerland and USA
B.India, Belgium and Switzerland
C.USA, Switzerland and Sri Lanka
D.Switzerland, USA and Australia

Answer 1

Hint: Federalism is a form of territorial organisation in which unity and regional diversity are accommodated with a single political system by distributing power among the central and state governments in a manner constitutionally safeguarding the existence and authority of each. It is done for a dual purpose—that of limiting the possibility of a tyranny of the majority and of generating strength through a union. Some federations emerge when various politically sovereign entities unite for defined purposes of common interest and create the federal state. This is called a coming together federation. Some federations are not a result of an agreement of various states rather a division of a federating unit for convenience of administration. This is called a holding together federation.

Complete answer: Option A: is incorrect. Although the USA and Switzerland are coming together federations, Belgium is a holding together federation.
Option B: is incorrect. Although Switzerland is a coming together federation, Belgium and India are holding together federations.
Option C: is incorrect. Although the USA and Switzerland are coming together federations, Sri Lanka is a holding together federation.
Option D: is correct. All three, USA, Switzerland and Australia are coming together federations. The US federation was formed when 13 North American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776. In the Swiss federation, according to the principle of subsidiarity, the Confederation (central government) only undertakes tasks that the cantons (federating units) are unable to perform or which require uniform regulation by the Confederation. The Australian federation is also established by six separate British colonies that came together to form the Commonwealth of Australia.

Hence, The correct answer is Option D.

Note: In a holding together federation, the central government has more power than state governments while in a coming together federation, state governments sometimes tend to be more powerful than the central government.