What is a confederacy?
A confederacy is a political arrangement in which several independent states join together to pursue common goals, but each member keeps most of its sovereignty.
Key features:
- Loose central authority: The central government has limited powers and relies on member states for enforcement.
- State sovereignty: Member states remain supreme in most matters like laws, taxes, and justice.
- Voluntary alliance: States choose to cooperate; they can leave the confederacy or renegotiate terms.
How it differs from a federation:
- In a federation, a strong central government has real authority over the whole country, and laws apply nationwide.
- In a confederacy, the central authority is weaker and member states hold most power.
Real-world examples:
- The United States under the Articles of Confederation (1781–1789) was a confederation with a weak central government.
- The Confederate States of America (1861–1865) was a confederacy during the American Civil War.
- The historical Swiss Confederation started as a loose confederation and evolved toward a federal system.
- Indigenous nations like the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy) unite several nations under shared governance while preserving their own sovereignty.
Bottom line:
Think of a confederacy as a friendly alliance of independent states that cooperate on common goals, with a central body that has limited power.