confederacies

A confederacy is a union of sovereign states or regions that join together for common purposes while preserving their own sovereignty. In a confederacy, the central authority is delegated limited powers by the member states and typically lacks independent coercive authority. The ability of the central body to act is often constrained by the consent of the member states, and it may be limited to defense, foreign affairs, trade coordination, or other functions that require cross-border cooperation.

Historically, confederacies have been formed to handle common security, economic interests, or political goals without surrendering full sovereignty to a central government. Classic examples include the Iroquois Confederacy, a longstanding alliance of Native American nations coordinating councils and decisions through a grand council; the Swiss Confederation, whose early cantonal federation evolved into a more centralized federal system; and the German Confederation (1815–1866), a loose association of states in central Europe.

In modern political history, the United States under the Articles of Confederation (1781–1789) is a widely cited example of a de jure confederation with a weak central government that could not levy taxes or regulate commerce; the system was replaced by the U.S. Constitution, which created a federal government with broader authority. Another historical case is the Confederate States of America (1861–1865), a secessionist confederation formed by states that attempted to preserve slavery and state sovereignty in opposition to the federal government; it dissolved after the Civil War.

In contemporary usage, confederacies may refer to loose international or regional networks, or to theoretical political arrangements characterized by weak central authority and strong member-state sovereignty. In practice, most modern unions are federations or confederal-like arrangements within larger political frameworks.