When federalism fails: The case of Yugoslavia

In the international community today, the prevailing method of state organization has become federalism. Best known as the government system of the United States, examples of federal unions can be found throughout the world; some successful or at least enduring, others doomed to failure. The purpose of this thesis is to address the criteria that lead to the formation of a federal system of government, and then to assess the causes that allow that federation to either exist fairly successfully or to face disintegration and federal failure. The federation of Switzerland will act as an example of enduring federalism, while Yugoslavia and the current upheaval in that nation will serve to provide a clue as to the actual causes of the breakdown of a federalized state.