British and American Governments

Comparison Essay

British and American Governments

The American and the British political systems are the two oldest democracies in existence present. Moreover, the democracy of the USA found its roots in the democracy of Great Britain, which is why comparing their systems of governments is a very interesting subject. Many similarities, but also a lot of differences, can be found between them.

Firstly, the major distinction between the American and the British political systems is the constitution. Even though both of them are constitutional countries, in America the Constitution states the rules of government while in Britain it is a number of laws which has never been brought into a single document.

The UK is a constitutional monarchy where the power of queen is restrained by the parliament, whereas the USA is a constitutional republic where the power is divided between three branches.

Secondly, one can compare the British and the American heads of state. The Queen of the UK and the President of the USA both carry out ceremonial duties, represent their countries abroad, approve of federal laws, are moral leaders and commanders-in-chief. However, in contrast to the President, who is a chief executor and a party leader, responsible for all the programs in the executive branch, the Queen does not have a real power, being more like a symbol of national unity.

Moreover, the President is elected every 4 years, while the title of the Queen can only be inherited.

Thirdly, the UK and the USA governments have separation between different branches of power. Nevertheless, in America the constitution enforces a strict separation between the executive, the legislature and the judiciary, while in Great Britain the executive and the legislature are not separate at all. The law-making body is Parliament – the House of Commons (651 members), which is the most powerful, and the House of Lords (738 members). The leader of the majority party is the head of the Government –...