Topic 4.7

Essential Knowledge:

• Forms of governance include unitary states and federal states. 
• Unitary states tend to have a more top-down, centralized form of governance, while federal states have more locally based, dispersed power centers. 

Unitary States 

• Power is centralized in the national government. 
• Policies are consistent across the country. 
• Works well for smaller or culturally homogeneous states. 
  Examples: France, China. 

Federal States 

• Power is shared between national and regional governments. 
• Allows local governments to meet regional needs. 
• Works well for large or culturally diverse states. 
  Examples: US, Canada, Germany. 

Governance structures influence policymaking, infrastructure, and regional autonomy. 

Contextualization: 

Video #1: 

How two nations became defined by a line drawn on a map, and how governments formed in response.  

Video #2: 

Essential Question: 

Explain how reapportionment can impact the political power of a state.  

Conceptual Analysis: 

1. Describe processes that might lead to ethnic cleansing.  
2. What are the lasting impact of colonialism and imperialism on contemporary boundary disputes? 

Vocab Review:  

Provide a shorthand working definition for each of the following terms. This means it needs to be in YOUR OWN WORDS. 

• Independence Movements  
• Political Power  
• Democratization  
• Authoritarian Government  
• Democracy  
• Republic  
• Democratization 

MCQ

(You only need to write the letter of the answer that you select)

1. Which of the following best describes a federal system of government?

A. Political power is concentrated entirely in the national government.
B. Regional governments operate only with permission from international organizations.
C. Political power is shared between national and regional governments.
D. Local governments have complete independence from the national government.

2. A country with many distinct cultural and linguistic groups wants regional governments to have authority over education and transportation policies. Which form of governance would best support this goal?

A. Unitary state
B. Federal state
C. City-state
D. Colonial government

3. Which scenario is most characteristic of a unitary state?

A. Provinces establish their own education standards independent of the national government.
B. State governments have authority to create their own tax systems.
C. The national government establishes policies that are implemented uniformly throughout the country.
D. Regional governments negotiate international treaties.