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is answerable to the legislature; but in a compare the two types of government under the
presidential government, the President is not a following points :
member of the legislature and is not q In a unitary government, all powers are vested
answerable to the legislature.
in the union; while in a federal government,
q In a parliamentary government, the head of the the powers are divided between the union and
government remains in the office so long he the provinces. The federal government holds
enjoys the confidence of the legislature and those powers which are common to all
can be removed from his office by majority provinces, for example, currency, defence,
vote; while in a presidential government, the foreign affairs etc., while the provincial
President remains in the office for a fixed term governments are given authority to deal in
and cannot be removed from his office except matters of local interest, for example,
by impeachment. education, local taxes, jail, agriculture, health,
sanitation etc.
q In a unitary government, the Constitution may
or may not be written, but in a federal
government, it is written. All laws made in the
country have to be in conformance to the
Constitution.
White House in America Parliament of Great Britain
q The judiciary is supreme in a federal
Both of parliamentary and presidential forms of
government. It interprets the laws made by the
government are good and are working federal and provincial governments. It also
successfully in different countries. India and
settles any disputes arising between federal
Britain are good examples of parliamentary form and provinces and between/among provinces.
of government; while America and Brazil are good
examples of presidential form of government. We can find unitary governments in Britain and
China; while federal governments in America and
Info Bits India.
Info Bits
FUNCTIONING OF A DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT
The subjects on which laws can be made by the
Indian government are divided into three Since a democratic government is elected by the
lists—the Union List for the union government, people, it is necessary that it functions for the
the State List for the states and the Concurrent List well-being of the common people.
for both union and state governments; however, if
both of them make laws on a subject, the union Collective Sanction of the People
law shall prevail. Collective sanction is also called popular
opinion . Collective sanction or will of the people
Unitary or Federal
is manifested in certain types of government. A
A unitary government functions at one tier, that is, government backed by the collective sanction of
all powers are centralised in a single union the people is a popular government and enjoys
government. The powers of the union government the confidence of the people. On the contrary, a
are absolute. However, in a federal government, government that does not heed to the collective
there are two tiers of authority—the federal sanction of the people is not popular and we can
government at the centre and the provincial see popular movements rising against such
governments in the provinces (states). A unitary governments. This is the reason that we see
government is effective when the territory under popular movements in Burma, Iraq and Pakistan.
its control is small; but when the territory is large, In China, such movements are ruthlessly
it is better to have a federal government. We can crushed.
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