Federalism (noun)

1. The advocacy of or belief in federalism, a system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and constituent political units.
2. The practice or system of federal government, in which a central government exists alongside and coordinates the activities of smaller political units.

Origin:

Late 18th century: from french fédéralisme, from fédérer "to unite in a league", from latin foedus, foeder- "league, treaty" + -alism.

Examples:

1. The United States is a federal system, which means that power is divided between the national government and the individual states.
2. The idea of federalism has been around for centuries, but it was not until the late 18th century that the concept began to gain widespread acceptance.
3. Federalism is a key principle of the European Union, which seeks to balance the power of individual member states with that of the central government.
4. Many countries have adopted federalism as a way to balance the power between different regions, ethnic groups or religious denominations.
5. The debate about federalism often centers around how much power should be given to the central government, versus how much should be retained by the individual states or provinces.