Federation Models: USA vs. India

India and the USA are both federations, but they were built in completely opposite ways.

The USA is a 'coming together' federation where independent states joined forces to form a country.

India, however, is a 'holding together' federation. A single,

massive country decided to divide its power between the central government and the states to

better manage its incredible diversity. This power split is clearly defined, with the constitution

outlining who controls what—like defense for the center and police for the states. Then,

India went even further, creating a third level of local government to bring power directly

to the people. This whole system has one goal: to keep the country united while celebrating