Federal republic
Also found in: Acronyms.
A federal republic is a federation of states with a republican form of government.[1] At its core, the literal meaning of the word republic when used to reference a form of government means: "a country that is governed by elected representatives and by an elected leader (such as a president) rather than by a king or queen".
In a federal republic, there is a division of powers between the federal government, and the government of the individual subdivisions. While each federal republic manages this division of powers differently, common matters relating to security and defense, and monetary policy are usually handled at the federal level, while matters such as infrastructure maintenance and education policy are usually handled at the regional or local level. However, views differ on what issues should be a federal competence, and subdivisions usually have sovereignty in some matters where the federal government does not have jurisdiction. A federal republic is thus best defined in contrast to a unitary republic, whereby the central government has complete sovereignty over all aspects of political life. This more decentralized structure helps to explain the tendency for more populous countries to operate as federal republics.[2] Most federal republics codify the division of powers between orders of government in a written constitutional document.
The political differences between a federal republic and other federal states, especially federal monarchies under a parliamentary system of government, are largely a matter of legal form rather than political substance, as most federal states are democratic in structure if not practice with checks and balances. However, some federal monarchies, such as the United Arab Emirates are based upon principles other than democracy.
Contemporary
| Federal state | Official name and style | Subdivisions | Head of state |
|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina | Argentine Republic | Provinces and one autonomous city | President |
 Austria[3] | Republic of Austria | States | President |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina[4] | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Entities, cantons and one federal district | Collective presidency |
 Brazil[5] | Federative Republic of Brazil | Municipalities, states and one federal district[6] | President |
 Comoros | Union of the Comoros | Islands | President |
 Ethiopia[7] | Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia | Regions | President |
 Germany[8] | Federal Republic of Germany | States | President |
 India[9] | Republic of India | States and union territories | President |
 Iraq | Republic of Iraq | Governorates | President |
 Mexico[10] | United Mexican States | States and one autonomous entity | President |
 Micronesia | Federated States of Micronesia | States | President |
 Nepal[11] | Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal | Provinces | President |
 Nigeria[12] | Federal Republic of Nigeria | Traditional States, States and one federal territory | President |
 Pakistan[13] | Islamic Republic of Pakistan | Provinces, autonomous territories and federal territory | President |
 Russia[14] | Russian Federation | Federal subjects | President |
 Somalia | Federal Republic of Somalia | Federal member states | President |
 South Sudan | Republic of South Sudan | States | President |
 Sudan | Republic of the Sudan | States | President |
 Switzerland[15] | Swiss Confederation | Cantons | Federal council |
 United States[16] | United States of America | 50 states, hundreds of tribal entities, one federal district and several territories | President |
 Venezuela[17] | Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela | States, one capital district and federal dependencies | President |
Historical
| Federation | Official name and style | Period | Subdivisions |
|---|---|---|---|
 Dutch Republic | Republic of the Seven United Netherlands | 1581–1795 | Provinces |
 Great Colombia | Republic of Colombia United States of Colombia | 1819–1831 1863–1886 | States |
 Federal Republic of Central America | United Provinces of Central America Federal Republic of Central America | 1823–1838 | |
.svg.png){kind=small} Mexico | United Mexican States | 1824–1835 | |
.svg.png){kind=small} China | Republic of China | 1912–1928 | Provinces |
 Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus | Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus | 1917–1922 1989–2000 | Republics |
.svg.png){kind=small} Germany | German Reich | 1919–1933 | States |
 East Germany | German Democratic Republic | 1949–1952 | States |
.svg.png){kind=small} Russian SFSR | Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic | 1917–1991 | Federal subjects |
 Soviet Union | Union of Soviet Socialist Republics | 1922–1991 | Republics |
.svg.png){kind=small} Yugoslavia[18] | Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia | 1945–1992 | Republics |
%3b_Flag_of_Serbia_and_Montenegro_(2003%e2%80%932006).svg.png){kind=small} Serbia and Montenegro | Federal Republic of Yugoslavia State Union of Serbia and Montenegro | 1992–2006 | Constituent republics |
.svg.png){kind=small} Burma | Union of Burma | 1948–1962 | States |
 Indonesia | Republic of the United States of Indonesia | 1949–1950[19] | States |
.svg.png){kind=small} Congo-Léopoldville | Republic of the Congo | 1960–1964 | |
.svg.png){kind=small} Cameroon | Federal Republic of Cameroon | 1961–1972 | |
.svg.png){kind=small} South Africa | South African Federation | 1961–1994 | |
 Tanzania | United Republic of Tanzania | 1964–1965 | |
 Czechoslovakia[18] | Czechoslovak Socialist Republic Czech and Slovak Federative Republic | 1969–1990 1990–1992 | Republics |
See also
- Form of government
- List of republics
- Federal monarchy
Notes and references
- ^ "republic".
- ^ Forum of Federations: [1], Schram, Sanford. Handbook of Federal Countries: United States, pg 373–391, 2005.
- ^ CIA World Factbook: Austria, 14 May 2009
- ^ CIA World Factbook: Bosnia and Herzegovina, 14 May 2009
- ^ CIA World Factbook: Brazil, 14 May 2009
- ^ "http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/Constituicao/Constitui%C3%A7ao.htm". planalto.gov.br. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
- ^ CIA World Factbook: Ethiopia, 14 May 2009
- ^ CIA World Factbook: Germany, 14 May 2009
- ^ CIA World Factbook: India, 14 May 2009
- ^ CIA World Factbook: Mexico, 14 May 2009
- ^ CIA World Factbook: Nepal, 14 May 2009
- ^ CIA World Factbook: Nigeria, 14 May 2009
- ^ CIA World Factbook: Pakistan, 14 May 2009
- ^ "Text of the Russian constitution in English". Constituteproject.org.
- ^ CIA World Factbook: Switzerland, 14 May 2009
- ^ CIA World Factbook: United States, 14 May 2009
- ^ CIA World Factbook: Venezuela, 14 May 2009
- ^ a b "The CIA World Factbook officially dated October 15, 1991". Archived from the original on 2011-05-11. Retrieved 2011-02-05.
- ^ The states lived on until a final treaty in 1956 in which Republic of South Maluku and the State of Eastern Sumatra agreed to devolve into the Republic of Indonesia.