Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?

The Articles of Confederation failed because there was too much power left within the states.  The federal government had no power to collect taxes, to regulate trade, or to enforce laws. Also, there was no executive branch under the Articles of Confederation, and no national court system.  On top of that, all of the states had to give their consent in order for amendments to be passed. Nine out of the thirteen states had to give consent in order for laws to be passed as well.  This almost always never happened, because there were barely ever enough delegates to pass a law and small states could completely ignore what the larger states wanted.  The only power the federal government had was to make war and peace, send and receive ambassadors, enter into treaties, raise and supply a navy, maintain an army by asking for troops that were from the states, appoint senior military officers, regulate Indian affairs, establish post offices, and decide certain arguments among the states.

What might life be like if there was no government?

I think life without government would be chaotic compared to life with government. Without people to rule the majority, and people would commit crime and act immorally. Also, there would be no regulated justice or punishment for the people acting out. No court system would exist because that is a government-run system. In times of emergency like natural disaster or attacks, there would be no government to step in and give orders like we are used to. These are things that can't be handle by every day people all together. There would be no organization or action. Maybe towns and communities would still be held together by their own laws but without a federal government there would be no one in charge of unifying the country. Also, basic services we get on a regular basis would not be given because some if not many of them are government-run. School, mail, and other state and federal services would not run without a working government. The government can give school grants, creates jobs, and monitors large businesses. Therefor it plays a vital role in our society.

People made government obviously to regulate basic things in everyday life. Town and state laws are a perfect example of this. Government serves a larger purpose as well. The federal goverment, which is above state law, unifies and equalizes the nation. I believe people want government for protection and understandable regulation. They need protection from those of their nation and those of other nations and need regulation so as to avoid being taken advantage of. Without government, or laws for that matter, we would not be able to function as we do in society right now. The amount of robberies, murders, and criminal acts in general that would be committed if we had no government would be obscene. Having a government gives people a safer, more secure feeling living in the world that we do. Even with a government, and laws, people still act out and commit crimes. Like without a government would just be insane. This is why humans organized governing bodies instead of taking on the world and making the rules themselves.