Confederation

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"Confederate" redirects here as a synonym for "confederation"; this term can also mean an inhabitant of any of several groups of the Confederacy type or label

A confederation is an association of sovereign states, usually created by treaty but often later adopting a common constitution. Confederations tend to be established for dealing with critical issues, such as defence, foreign affairs, foreign trade, and a common currency, with the central government being required to provide support for all members. A confederation, in modern political terms, is usually limited to a permanent union of sovereign states for common action in relation to other statesTemplate:Ref.

The nature of the relationship between the entities constituting a confederation varies considerably. Likewise, the relationship between the member states and the central government, and the distribution of powers among them, is highly variable. Some looser confederations are similar to international organizations, while tighter confederations may resemble federations.

In a non-political context, confederation is used to describe a type of organization which consolidates authority from other semi-autonomous bodies. Examples include sports confederations or confederations of Pan-European trade unions.

1 Confederation vs. federation
2 Confederation as a legal action
3 Confederation Day
4 List of entities considered to be confederations
5 See also
6 References
7 Sources and External links

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Confederation vs. federation

Sometimes confederation is erroneously used in the place of federation. Some nations which started out as confederations retained the word in their titles after officially becoming federations, such as Switzerland. The United States of America was first organized as a confederation under the Articles of Confederation and later became a federation with the ratification of the current US constitution in 1789. The American Civil War was a byproduct of the formation of the Confederate States of America by U.S. states allied in their desire to form a looser political union and retain more rights for themselves.

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Confederation as a legal action

As a verbal noun, confederation refers to the process of (or the event of) confederating; i.e., establishing a confederation (or by extension a federation). In Canada – a relatively decentralised federation – "Confederation" generally refers to the British North America Act 1867 which initially united three colonies of British North America (Province of Canada, Province of New Brunswick and Province of Nova Scotia), and to the subsequent incorporation of other colonies and territories.

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Confederation Day

Confederation Day or Federation Day is frequently a holiday in federations or confederations, equivalent to the United States' Independence Day for any entity that achieved statehood as such. This is often renamed or colloquially celebrated under a different name (e.g. in Canada Confederation Day (July 1) was renamed Dominion Day, and later was renamed Canada Day).

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List of entities considered to be confederations

Note that historical confederations, especially those that predate the 20th century, may not fit the current definition of a confederation and may show some qualities that are today recognized as those of a federation.

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Confederal states

Some have more characteristics of a personal union, but they are still listed here because of their own self-styling

Crown of Aragon (1137–1716)
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1569–1795) (different governments, armies, treasuries, laws, territories with borders, citizenships; common monarch (Grand Duke of Lithuania and King of Poland), parliament (Seimas,Sejm) and currency)
Switzerland (1291–1848), officially the Helvetic Confederation
New England Confederation (1643-1684)
United States of America under the Articles of Confederation (1781–1789)
Confederate States of America, (1861–1865)
Union of African States (1961-1963)
Senegambia (1982–1989)
Serbia and Montenegro
Confederate Ireland
Hanseatic League
Powhatan Confederacy

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International organisations

pre-reunited Germany after the Holy Roman Empire (1806–1871)
- Confederation of the Rhine (1806–1813) had no head of state nor a government
- German Confederation (1815–1866)
- North German Confederation (1867–1871)
Commonwealth of Independent States
European Union (foreign affairs and many other things left to states, some things centrally controlled)
in Afrikaans (the Boers language, closest relative of Dutch), the word statebond (like the Dutch statenbond, literally 'league of states', a purism for confederation) has been used for the Commonwealth of Nations, as part of the official style of the British Monarch in South Africa from 29 May, 1953 to 31 May, 1961: Koningin van Suid-Afrika en Haar ander Koninkryke en Gebiede, Hoof van die Statebond "Queen of South Africa and Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth"