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Synopsis The distribution of government responsibilities between national and state governments is a subject of much debate and controversy. This book provides a vivid account of the political history of federalism which is exemplified in India through centre-state relations. The conception of federalism was a unique response to the needs of national unity and the safeguarding of individual liberty, which eventually led to the building of a coherent national federalism framework. Rather than a compact among the states, the basic tenets of Indian democratic nationhood are founded on two coordinated sets of institutions--federal or centre and state. This book offers a balanced account of the historical debate of the national idea in federalist thought. The discussion of the major political philosophers reaches back to the middle ages, beginning with Thomas Aquinas and moving to John Milton and James Harrington. The federal options, the discovery of the nation and the constitutional movement from a confederate republic to a compound republic are discussed in detail. This book is a comprehensive and in-depth description of federalism in all its forms and is ideal to give the reader a wide-ranging view of the subject. It will therefore be useful for students, teachers, and researchers of public administration.