Confederacy
What is A Confederacy?
A confederacy is essentially a loose alliance between parties with the same set of goals or purpose. Often building a central government or institution to adhere to that goal.
Real World Examples
A real-world example of this would be the CSA (Confederate States of America (1861-1865)). The separatist states of South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina pretty much held all economic and political powers within themselves. The focus on “states’ rights” made their central government not levy protective tariffs, direct capital taxes and taxes on exports were prohibited. The government could also not overrule decisions of the state courts. This essentially weakened their ability to make war. Their central government had to inflate their economy to pay for the war. The individual state could also refuse to send militias to aid other states or to the front lines of Virginia during the Peninsula campaign. Each individual state was practically its’s own country like the time during the Articles of Confederation (1781-1788). The only true thing that united them are that they are slave states wanting to keep their economic prevalence and so laws regarding such matters were practically the same interstate wise.
“Confederacy.” HistoryNet, www.historynet.com/confederacy.
In Fiction
A fictional Confederacy is the Confederacy of Independent Systems (CIS) from the Star Wars universe. They were a collection of commerce guilds, and trading corporations disillusioned by the current Galactic Republic. When the Republic started passing laws on taxation on all trade routes they banded together under former Jedi Master Count Dooku. Its major members were; the Trade Federation who provided the majority of the weapons, and starships for the war, the Techno Union who provided the base of the fighting forces for the Confederation i.e. the droids, the Inter Galactic Banking Clan which provided the majority of the capital needed to mobilize the massive fighting force needed to fight the Republic. Since their members specialize in trade and other economical manners and not in governing or military they used their massive fortunes to hire out “help”. Mercenaries, specialists, overseers, and other hired hands flocked to the Confederacy's cause. They were ultimately defeated not by the Republic but the Galactic Empire that arose from its ashes.
http://battle-droids.wikia.com
Annotated Bibliography
Melina, Remy. “What Are the Different Types of Governments?” LiveScience, Purch, 14 Feb. 2011, www.livescience.com/33027-what-are-the-different-types-of-governments.html.
Confederacy (Confederation) - a union by compact or treaty between states, provinces or territories that creates a central government with limited powers; the constituent entities retain supreme authority over all matters except those delegated to the central government.
"Confederacy Synonyms, Confederacy Antonyms.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confederacy.
An association of persons, parties, or states for mutual assistance and protection. A confederacy of several small nations who had promised to come to one another's aid if any were attacked.
“LibGuides: Federal, Unitary & Confederate Government Systems: Home.” Home - Federal, Unitary & Confederate Government Systems - LibGuides at Skyline College, Skyline College, 26 Mar. 2018, guides.skylinecollege.edu/c.php?g=279117.
Weak or loose organization of states agrees to follow a powerful central government. Nations can choose to follow or not follow the lead of the weak central government. Examples: The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), formerly known as the Soviet Union. Also, Switzerland's canton system and the Confederate States of America (1861-1865).
“Confederacy.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/confederacy.
1.an alliance between persons, parties, states, etc., for some purpose.
2.a group of persons, parties, states, etc., united by such a confederacy.
3.a combination of persons for unlawful purposes; conspiracy.
4.the Confederacy, Confederate States of America.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Confederation.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 25 Oct. 2016, www.britannica.com/topic/confederation-politics.
Confederation, primarily any league or union of people or bodies of people. The term in modern political use is generally confined to a permanent union of sovereign states for certain common purposes—e.g., the German Confederation established by the Congress of Vienna in 1815.
Confederation, Articles of Articles of Confederation.National Archives, Washington, D.C. The distinction between confederation and federation—words synonymous in their origin—has been developed in the political terminology of the United States. Until 1789 the U.S. was a confederation; then the word federation, or federal republic, was introduced as implying closer union. This distinction was emphasized during the American Civil War when the seceding states formed a confederation (Confederate States of America) in opposition to the Federal Union. Confederation thus came to mean a union of sovereign states in which the stress is laid on the autonomy of each constituent body, while federation implies a union of states in which the stress is laid on the supremacy of the common government. The distinction is, however, by no means universally observed. The variant confederacy, derived through the Anglo-French confederacie and meaning generally a league or union, whether of states or individuals, was applied in America in the sense of confederation to the seceding Southern states. In its political sense confederacy has generally come to mean rather a temporary league of independent states for certain purposes.