What is a basic idea of federalism?
A. the establishment of a Supreme Court to monitor all of the states
B. the creation of an army and a navy to provide for the security of the whole country
C. the concentration of all legislative power in the states
D. the sharing of power by a national government and state and local governments
The basic idea of federalism is the option D. the sharing of power by a national government and state and local governments.
To arrive at this answer, one can examine the concept of federalism by understanding the division of powers between the central/national government and state and local governments in a country. In a federal system, powers and authority are distributed between multiple levels of government, allowing for a balance between a strong central government and the autonomy of individual states or regions.
In federalism, the national government typically retains certain exclusive powers, such as defense, foreign affairs, and currency. Meanwhile, state and local governments have powers specific to their jurisdictions, such as education, transportation, and local regulations. Both levels of government share certain responsibilities, such as taxation and law enforcement.
By understanding the basic concept of federalism and how power is divided between national, state, and local governments, we can determine that the correct answer is option D.