An alliance or agreement between groups, states, or people to work together; historically, the Confederate States of America during the Civil War.
From Medieval Latin 'confederatus' (in alliance), from 'con-' (together) and 'foederatus' (allied). The word comes from the idea of a binding agreement or covenant.
The word confederacy appears in political science as the most decentralized form of government—states keep power while uniting—which is why Switzerland and the EU study confederacy models.
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