Final answer:
The Articles of Confederation did not include executive and judicial branches due to a desire for a weak central government and a fear of creating another oppressive power. The decentralized authority prevented domination by a single state but resulted in a weak national government unable to handle critical national issues effectively and replaced later by a stronger federal system.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Articles of Confederation failed to provide for an executive and a judicial branch of government because of fears of creating another oppressive national government. The new nation wanted a weak central government with limited power. Hence, the Articles established a national government that lacked both a president to oversee domestic and foreign policy and a system of federal courts to settle disputes between the states. It created a confederation, an entity where independent, self-governing states form a union for acting in areas like defense.
In relation to fears that some states would dominate others, the decentralized authority under the Articles of Confederation prevented any single state from having too much power. However, this also meant that the central government's ability to act depends on the consent of the subnational governments, leading to inefficiencies like inability to service war debts or addressing popular rebellions effectively. This eventually led to the decision to revise the Article of Confederation and led to the creation of a more robust federal national government under a new constitution.
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