Class 10 Social Science — Chapter 2: Federalism

What you'll learn

• ▸Federalism vs. Unitary Government
• ▸Key Features of Federalism
• ▸Types of Federations: 'Coming Together' and 'Holding Together'
• ▸India's Federal Structure: A 'Union of States'
• ▸Division of Legislative Powers in India
• ▸Asymmetrical Federalism in India

Chapter Summary

--- PAGE 1 --- Federalism Overview In the previous chapter, we noted that vertical division of power among different levels of government is one of the major forms of power-sharing in modern democracies. In this chapter, we focus on this form of power- sharing. It is most commonly referred to as federalism. We begin by describing federalism in general terms. The rest of the chapter tries to understand the theory and practice of federalism in India. A discussion of the federal constitutional provisions is followed by an analysis of the policies and politics that has strengthened federalism in practice. Towards the end of the chapter, we turn to the local government, a new and third tier of Indian federalism. Chapter 2 Federalism 13 Reprint 2025-26 --- PAGE 2 --- What is federalism? Let us get back to the contrast to be, for all practical purposes, a between Belgium and Sri Lanka unitary system where the national that we saw in the last chapter. You government has a…

Practice Questions from this Chapter

Tap "Get Solution" on any question to ask our AI tutor.

1. Compare unitary and federal systems. Get Solution →
2. List benefits of federalism. Get Solution →
3. Illustrate power division with an example. Get Solution →
4. According to the text, what is the most common term for the vertical division of power among different levels of government? Get Solution →
5. In a unitary system of government, who holds most of the power? Get Solution →
6. How many levels of government does a federation usually have? Get Solution →
7. Which of the following is an example of a 'coming together' federation mentioned in the chapter? Get Solution →
8. The Indian Constitution originally provided for how many tiers of government? Get Solution →

Did you know?

• 💡 Alaska is larger than the next two largest U.S. states combined.
• 💡 The oldest continuous parliament in the world belongs to Iceland, dating to 930 AD.
• 💡 The smallest country, Vatican City, is entirely surrounded by Rome, Italy.
• 💡 Australia's capital, Canberra, was chosen as a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne.
• 💡 The United Kingdom uses a unitary system, but Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have devolved powers.

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