【Alliance】 , 【League】 , 【Coalition】 , 【Fusion】 , 【Confederacy】 , 【Confederation】 and 【Federation】 all agree in the idea of combination, chiefly political, for a common object.
【Alliance】 applies particularly to a joining of interests on the part of families (by marriage) or of states (by compact or treaty); it is also less formally used of a connection for mutual benefit between other bodies, organized or not.
a defensive 【alliance】
an 【alliance】 between producers and consumers
【League】 though often used without distinction from 【alliance】 typically suggests a more formal compact or more definite object and may frequently (unlike 【alliance】 ) be taken in a bad sense.
the Solemn 【League】 and Covenant
to be in 【league】 with the powers of darkness
【Coalition】 refers to a temporary 【alliance】 of otherwise opposing interests, parties, or factions.
Mr. Fox, and his famous 【coalition】 with Lord North —Gibbon
a 【coalition】 government
【Fusion】 is a 【coalition】 of political parties for the purpose of defeating another party in an election.
a 【fusion】 of Republicans and independent Democrats in New York City opposed the Tammany Democratic ticket
【Confederacy】 and 【confederation】 apply specifically to a union by compact or treaty of independent states under a government to which powers are delegated for dealing primarily with common external relations.
the Southern 【Confederacy】
the Articles of 【Confederation】
the German 【Confederation】
【Federation】 in its broad sense includes any union under the terms of a 【league】 or covenant but specifically it designates a sovereign state or city formed by the union of other states or cities with a central general government and several local governments.
the 【Federation】 of Labor
the United States of America constitutes a. 【federation】
【federation】 was the name given to the scheme for blending the Five Towns into one town —Bennett
