What form of government was established by the Articles of Confederation?

The Articles of Confederation established a confederation of states, which is characterized by a union of independent states that have come together for a common purpose while retaining their individual sovereignty. Under this arrangement, the central authority was deliberately kept weak, limiting its powers primarily to areas such as foreign affairs and military matters, while most powers remained with the individual states.

This structure allowed for a degree of cooperation among the states but often resulted in inefficiencies and challenges in governance, as states operated largely independently. The weakness of the central government under the Articles eventually led to issues that prompted the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, which sought to create a stronger federal framework that provided for a balance of power between state and national interests.

The other forms of government mentioned—including centralized, unitary, and federal—do not accurately represent the decentralized nature of governance that the Articles of Confederation embodied. A centralized government implies a stronger central authority with significant control over its constituents, whereas a unitary government concentrates power within a single national government. A federal government describes a system where power is shared between national and regional entities, which contrasts with the intent of the Articles to emphasize state autonomy.