The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''.
History
Europe federation
In
Europe, proponents of
deeper European integration are sometimes called Federalists. A major European
NGO and
advocacy group
Advocacy groups, also known as interest groups, special interest groups, lobbying groups or pressure groups use various forms of advocacy in order to influence public opinion and ultimately policy. They play an important role in the developm ...
campaigning for such a political union is the
Union of European Federalists. Movements towards a peacefully unified European state have existed since the 1920s, notably the
Paneuropean Union. A pan-European party with representation in the
European Parliament fighting for the same cause is
Volt Europa.
In the
European Parliament the
Spinelli Group brings together
MEP MEP may refer to:
Organisations and politics
* Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, a political party in Sri Lanka
* Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (1956), a former political alliance in Sri Lanka
* Maison européenne de la photographie, a photography centre ...
s from different political groups to work together of ideas and projects of European federalism; taking their name from Italian politician and MEP
Altiero Spinelli, who himself was a major proponent of European federalism, also meeting with fellow deputies in the
Crocodile Club.
Notable European Federalists are former
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, current EC president
Ursula von der Leyen, leader of
ALDE group
Guy Verhofstadt
Guy Maurice Marie Louise Verhofstadt (; ; born 11 April 1953) is a Belgian politician who was the leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe from 2009 to 2019, and has been a member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Belgium ...
, German
Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy of Germany Peter Altmaier, German MEP
Elmar Brok
Elmar Peter Brok (born 14 May 1946) is a German politician who served as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1980 until 2019, who is best known for his role as chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs. He is a ...
and the former leader of the
SPD Martin Schulz.
Latin America
In the
Spanish-speaking parts of
Latin America the term "federalist" is used in reference to the politics of 19th-century
Argentina and
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
. The Federalists opposed the
Unitarians
Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to:
Christian and Christian-derived theologies
A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism:
* Unitarianism (1565–present) ...
in Argentina and the
Centralists in Colombia through the 19th century. Federalists fought for complete self-government and full provincial autonomy, as opposed to the
centralized
Centralisation or centralization (see spelling differences) is the process by which the activities of an organisation, particularly those regarding planning and decision-making, framing strategy and policies become concentrated within a particu ...
government that the Unitarians and Centralists favored. Furthermore, Federalists demanded
tariff protection for their industries and, in Argentina, called for the end of the Buenos Aires customs as the only intermediary for foreign trade. During the
Federal War (1859-1863) in Venezuela, liberal ''
caudillos'' confronted conservatives, leading to the establishment of the modern federal
States of Venezuela.
Argentina
The one
Federalist
The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''.
History Europe federation
In Europe, proponents of de ...
leader in the
Platine Region was
José Gervasio Artigas, who opposed the centralist governments in Buenos Aires that followed the
May Revolution, and created instead the
Federal League in 1814 among several
Argentine Provinces and the
Banda Oriental (modern-day
Uruguay). In 1819, the Federal armies rejected the
''centralist'' Constitution of the
United Provinces of South America and defeated the forces of
Supreme Director José Rondeau at the 1820
Battle of Cepeda, effectively ending the central government and securing Provinces' sovereignty through a series of inter-Provincial pacts (v.g. ''
Treaty of Pilar'', ''
Treaty of Benegas'', ''
Quadrilateral Treaty''). A new National Constitution was proposed only in 1826, during the
Presidency of Unitarian
Bernardino Rivadavia, but it was again rejected by the Provinces, leading to the dissolution of the National Government the following year.
Federalist
Buenos Aires Governor
Manuel Dorrego took over the management of the foreign affairs of the United Provinces, but he was deposed and executed in 1828 by Unitarian General
Juan Lavalle, who commanded troops dissatisfied with the
negotiations that ended the
War with Brazil. The following year,
Juan Manuel de Rosas
Juan Manuel José Domingo Ortiz de Rosas (30 March 1793 – 14 March 1877), nicknamed "Restorer of the Laws", was an Argentine politician and army officer who ruled Buenos Aires Province and briefly the Argentine Confederation. Althoug ...
, leader of Buenos Aires Federalists,
defeated Lavalle and
secured his resignation. Rosas was elected Governor of Buenos Aires later that year by the Provincial Legislature. To counteract these developments, the
Unitarian League was created by General
José María Paz in 1830, uniting nine Argentine Provinces. The 1831
Federal Pact between
Buenos Aires,
Entre Ríos and
Santa Fe Provinces opposed a military alliance to the League and ultimately defeated it during 1832, its former members joining the Federal Pact into a loose
confederation of Provinces known as the
Argentine Confederation
The Argentine Confederation (Spanish: ''Confederación Argentina'') was the last predecessor state of modern Argentina; its name is still one of the official names of the country according to the Argentine Constitution, Article 35. It was the name ...
. Although the Unitarians were exiled in neighboring countries, the
Civil War continued for two decades.
Buenos Aires Governor Juan Manuel de Rosas exerted a growing hegemony over the rest of the country during his 1835-1852 Government and resisted several Unitarian uprisings, but was finally
defeated in 1852 by a coalition Army gathered by Entre Ríos Federalist Governor
Justo José de Urquiza, who accused Rosas of not complying with
Federal Pact provisions for a National Constitution. In 1853, a
Federal Constitution was enacted (the current Constitution of Argentina, through amendments) and Urquiza was elected President of the
Argentine Confederation
The Argentine Confederation (Spanish: ''Confederación Argentina'') was the last predecessor state of modern Argentina; its name is still one of the official names of the country according to the Argentine Constitution, Article 35. It was the name ...
. However, on the aftermath of 1852
Battle of Caseros, the
Province of Buenos Aires had seceded from the Confederation. In 1859, after the
Battle of Cepeda the State of Buenos Aires rejoined the Confederation, although it was granted the right to make some amendments to its Constitution. Finally, after the 1861
Battle of Pavón, Buenos Aires took over the Confederation.
The following federal governments fought the weaker Federalist and Autonomist resistances in the countryside until the 1870s. The last Autonomist rebellion in Buenos Aires was quelled in 1880, leading to the
federalization of Buenos Aires city and the stabilization of the Argentine State and government through the
National Autonomist Party.
North America
Quebec
''Federalism'', in regard to the
National Question
''National question'' is a term used for a variety of issues related to nationalism. It is seen especially often in socialist thought and doctrine.
In socialism
* ''Social Democracy and the National Question'' by Vladimir Medem in 1904
* ''So ...
, refers to support for
Quebec remaining within
Canada, while either keeping the ''
status quo
is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, political, religious or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the current state of social structure and/or values. W ...
'' or pursuing greater autonomy and
constitutional recognition of a Quebec nation, with corresponding rights and powers for Quebec within the Canadian federation. This ideology is opposed to
Quebec sovereigntism, proponents of Quebec independence, most often (but not for all followers) along with an economic union with Canada similar to the European Union.
United States
In the
United States the term ''
federalist
The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''.
History Europe federation
In Europe, proponents of de ...
'' usually applies to a member of one of the following groups:
* Statesmen and public figures supporting the proposed
Constitution of the United States between 1787 and 1789. The most prominent advocates were
James Madison,
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795.
Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...
, and
John Jay. They published ''
The Federalist Papers'', which expounded the principles of the early federalist movement to promote and adopt the proposed Constitution.
* Statesmen and public figures supporting the administrations of presidents
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...
(1789–1797) and
John Adams (1797–1801). They became the
Federalist Party
The Federalist Party was a Conservatism in the United States, conservative political party which was the first political party in the United States. As such, under Alexander Hamilton, it dominated the national government from 1789 to 1801.
De ...
, founded by Alexander Hamilton. During the 1790s and early 1800s, the Federalist Party opposed the
Democratic-Republican Party (founded by
Thomas Jefferson and James Madison) over issues of how broadly or narrowly to apply the provisions of the new Constitution.
The
Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies is an organization of
conservative and
libertarian
Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...
lawyers and others dedicated to debate of these principles.
Global federalism
The
World Federalist Movement is a
global citizens movement that advocates for strengthened and democratic world institutions subjected to the federalist principles of subsidiarity, solidarity and democracy. It states that "
rld federalists support the creation of democratic global structures accountable to the citizens of the world and call for the division of international authority among separate agencies".
See also
*
Anti-Federalism
*
Confederation
*
Federal (disambiguation)
*
Federalism
Federalism is a combined or compound mode of government that combines a general government (the central or "federal" government) with regional governments (Province, provincial, State (sub-national), state, Canton (administrative division), can ...
*
Federalist Era
*
Federalist Party
The Federalist Party was a Conservatism in the United States, conservative political party which was the first political party in the United States. As such, under Alexander Hamilton, it dominated the national government from 1789 to 1801.
De ...
*
Federation
*
World Federation
World government is the concept of a single political authority with jurisdiction over all humanity. It is conceived in a variety of forms, from tyrannical to democratic, which reflects its wide array of proponents and detractors.
A world gove ...
References
External links
World Federalist Movement
The New Federalist Party 2008The Anti-Federalist Movement - A Discussion* "unitario ." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 3 Nov. 2008
* Crow, John A. (1992). ''The Epic of Latin America''. University of California Press. {{ISBN, 978-0-520-07723-2.
* "Cepeda, battles of." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 5 Nov. 200
Federalism,