Advantages of Federalism
The following are the advantages of federalism
It Combines the Merits of Unity with Diversity
Under federalism there is both unity as well as diversity. In other words it means that there is one country in which the provinces or the federating units maintain their individuality. A federation maintains a balance between centripetal and centrifugal forces.
Experimentation is Possible
Under federalism different experiments can be made by the federating units as well as the federal government. If the experiment is successful other parts of the country can take advantage from it. If the experiment is unsuccessful, only one part will suffer and rest of the country will be saved.
Federal Unification bring Strength, Progress and Prosperity to the Small State
Federalism is a form of government which gives strength, progress and prosperity to the small states. Since there are big and small states, it is easy for the small states to take advantage from the bigger and the richer federating units. The Small unit can be helped in the fields of science, technology, education, agriculture, health etc. by bigger units. In this way smaller units will become strong progressive and prosperous. This has been proved by USA and also by the Ex-USSR.
Suitable for Heterogeneous States is a Major Advantages
This system is suitable for a large state with huge territory or small state with big diversity. If a country has a vast area, the pace of progress can be increased if the whole area is divided into smaller units with local autonomy. This experiment was carried out by Ex-USSR, which had the biggest area in the world. Similarly if a state is small and it has different nationalities, this system can solve many of its problems. Each nationality can be given a particular area with autonomy. In this way each nationality will be happy and will make quick progress. Malaysia is the best example of this.
Prevents Despotism/DespoticTendencies
Federation form of government prevents the provincial or the central government front becoming despotic because under this system they become check on one another. In this way each government remains within its defined field and cannot over step the limit set for it by the constitution.
Local Self-Government on a Large Scale
A federation is local self-government on a large scale. Under this system each federating unit has autonomy and internal independence. In this way each province or federating unit gets a chance to get more and more political experience and awareness. In this way people are trained locally and this experience can be utilized at the national level.
It is Best System for Modern Complex Society
It is the best system for modern society which is the important advantage of federalism. The reason for this is that modern society is very complex and is composed of different kinds of associations each essential for the people. Unless the system is federal, neither the society nor the world can make progress.
Federation Brings Peace
It is said that a federal system brings peace because it is based on consent and agreement. If the world is to unite and if we want to get rid of war, there is only one hope and that is federalism.