Answer

1. 1. Answer the Questions

      Question Two

      The Articles of Confederation was the United States’ first Constitution developed after the American Revolution to establish the new nation’s governmental structures comprising the newly freed 13 states. Although adopted in 1777, the document only took effect in 1789 after its ratification by all the states. The document was framed when the people feared strong national governments, leading to creating a weak federal government in response to this widespread antipathy toward strong central governments. As soon as the document took effect, the weaknesses became apparent (Chet, 2019). The weaknesses included the national government’s inability to tax citizens directly, thereby relying on states to remit money to the national level while further lacking the power to regulate interstate and foreign trade (Kelly, 2020). Another weakness was the absence of an executive branch to enforce any of Congress’s acts (Carswell, 2019).

      These became a clear expression of the document’s weaknesses that was to guide the governmental affairs of the teenage nation. Many of the issues arising from the Articles of Confederation were brought up during the Annapolis convention of 1786, creating a general agreement that the country could not survive under the document’s provisions. In essence, since the national government could not directly tax the citizens and only request money from the states, the dependence proved unviable since states rarely contributed to the required finances (Carswell, 2019). This made it difficult for the national government to pay debts or refund initiatives. The states could easily bypass the national government and make individual trade deals with foreign countries with the national government lacking powers to sanction such moves. Besides, since there was no executive branch at the national government, the government couldn’t implement or enforce its legislative decisions (Chet, 2019). Furthermore, this means that the Articles only provided Congress with the powers to pass but with no ability to enforce them, creating severe difficulties in running on the government since any state that did not support a federal law could simply ignore it.

      However, the framers of the United States Constitution addressed these weaknesses to ensure the development of governmental structures that provided more power to the central government. For instance, in Article I, section 8, Clause 1, the Framers of the Constitution gave Congress the power to levy and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and exercises, pay government debts, and provide universal defense and welfare across the country (Chet, 2019). Besides, in Article I, section 2, clause 3 of the Constitution, the framers provided apportionment of direct taxes according to the population with the Supreme Court, further holding that federal income tax constitutes a direct tax. The Constitution also limits the extent of taxation by prohibiting state taxation that burdens interstate or foreign commence in Article I, section 8, clause 3. Conversely, the Constitution also rectifies the weaknesses arising from the lack of an executive branch in the Articles of Confederation (Chet, 2019). In Article II of the Constitution, the Framers vested the executive powers in the President of the United States, who is the head of the executive branch. Therefore, as the President is responsible for enforcing the laws written and passed by the legislative branch.

      Question Three

      The different political systems usually have critical differences in the structure of the government. The Federal System refers to the political system where there is sharing of power between a powerful central government and states with considerable self-rule, mainly through their legislatures (Vile, 2015). An example of this political system in the United States and Australia. On the other hand, the Unitary System refers to a political structure where one central government exercises control over weaker states (Vile, 2015). In this system, there is no power-sharing between states. An excellent example of a country with this political system is China. Confederal System refers to a system where the central government has very limited power, with the majority of political powers resting with smaller units (Vile, 2015). This system of governance provides the states with significant freedom to act according to their wishes. However, such freedom often leads to severe conflicts between the states and the central government. A perfect example of this system is Belgium, which is a confederacy between two largely independent states, Wallonia and Flanders.

      The primary difference between these government systems lies in the direction of power and the political relationship between the central and state governments. The Federal System remains the best for intra-state governance and relations because of the incredible approaches to governance. The system empowers the state governments with critical powers in essential policy areas, with the central government mostly overriding on matters defense and foreign policy. One advantage of the federal system over other intra-state governance approaches is providing considerable self-rule through their legislatures. The ability to make laws whose jurisdiction is within the states provides balanced relations between the states and the central government. A system such as a unitary may not be effective in achieving intra-state governance and relations. This arises from the disadvantages of unitary governments that create a potential of hyper-centralism and detachment from local needs. Besides, the system can develop an authoritarian system of government that does not serve the citizens’ interests.