Comparison of British and American political system
The British and American political systems have both similarities and differences. Most notably, the British political system is a democratic constitutional monarchy, consisting of a monarch and a prime minister. The United States of America however, is a federal republic with a separation of power between three branches. Beyond these two key differences, the two countries have political similarities such as a dual-chamber, two dominating political parties as well as scheduled elections.
Firstly, the United States of America has a political system based on federalism, whereas Britain is a constitutional monarchy. Federalism is a political system that implies that entities, in this case, …show more content…
The U.S. has the House of Representatives and the Senate and in Britain Parliament consists of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. However, in the U.S. both chambers are elected, whereas it is only the House of Commons that is elected in Britain. Because of this, the President of the United States has more limitations to his power than the Prime Minister in Britain (Classroom.synonym.com). For example, Barack Obama was the previous Democratic President but had a Republican majority in Congress which made it difficult for him to get his policies through, as the Congress could vote down every suggestion from him. In Britain however, there such limitation on the Prime Minister’s power. However, his room for movement on various policies, for example, depends on his party’s majority in the House of Commons. The larger the majority, the more easily the PM and the government can get through policies and legislation, without the interference of any branches such as in the U.S. Therefore, if the Prime Minister has a large majority, he or she can make a significant change in Britain during their time in power (Ndla.no). In summary, both nations a\have two chambers, however the U.S.’s political system can give the President more limited power than the PM’s in …show more content…
The two parties where the President of the United States is a part of is either the Democratic of the Republican party. In Britain, according to Classroom.synonym.com, the Labour Party, a left-wing party equal to the Democratic party, and the right-winged Conservative Party, which is similar to the Republican party, are the only parties which have formed the British government for the last 90 years. However, in 2010 the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats had to form a coalition as it was a hung Parliament. In addition, even though the Labour and Conservative party are the two major parties in Britain, the nation has a multi-party system that represents diverse constituencies, something the United States does not have (Classroom.synonym.com) Furthermore, elections also vary in the two countries. In the U.S. the President is elected every four years, senators every six years, and congressional members are elected every two years (ndla.no). Therefore, federal elections in the U.S. happen on a regular schedule. Prior to the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011, elections in Britain were not on a schedule such as in the U.S. Before, Parliament could be dissolved by the monarch, however, over time the monarchy acted on the advice of the Prime Minister. Now, elections are, similarly to the U.S., more fixed, as Parliament must hold elections every five years (Classroom.synonym.com). Therefore, the U.S. and
The British and American political systems have both similarities and differences. Most notably, the British political system is a democratic constitutional monarchy, consisting of a monarch and a prime minister. The United States of America however, is a federal republic with a separation of power between three branches. Beyond these two key differences, the two countries have political similarities such as a dual-chamber, two dominating political parties as well as scheduled elections.
Firstly, the United States of America has a political system based on federalism, whereas Britain is a constitutional monarchy. Federalism is a political system that implies that entities, in this case, …show more content…
The U.S. has the House of Representatives and the Senate and in Britain Parliament consists of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. However, in the U.S. both chambers are elected, whereas it is only the House of Commons that is elected in Britain. Because of this, the President of the United States has more limitations to his power than the Prime Minister in Britain (Classroom.synonym.com). For example, Barack Obama was the previous Democratic President but had a Republican majority in Congress which made it difficult for him to get his policies through, as the Congress could vote down every suggestion from him. In Britain however, there such limitation on the Prime Minister’s power. However, his room for movement on various policies, for example, depends on his party’s majority in the House of Commons. The larger the majority, the more easily the PM and the government can get through policies and legislation, without the interference of any branches such as in the U.S. Therefore, if the Prime Minister has a large majority, he or she can make a significant change in Britain during their time in power (Ndla.no). In summary, both nations a\have two chambers, however the U.S.’s political system can give the President more limited power than the PM’s in …show more content…
The two parties where the President of the United States is a part of is either the Democratic of the Republican party. In Britain, according to Classroom.synonym.com, the Labour Party, a left-wing party equal to the Democratic party, and the right-winged Conservative Party, which is similar to the Republican party, are the only parties which have formed the British government for the last 90 years. However, in 2010 the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats had to form a coalition as it was a hung Parliament. In addition, even though the Labour and Conservative party are the two major parties in Britain, the nation has a multi-party system that represents diverse constituencies, something the United States does not have (Classroom.synonym.com) Furthermore, elections also vary in the two countries. In the U.S. the President is elected every four years, senators every six years, and congressional members are elected every two years (ndla.no). Therefore, federal elections in the U.S. happen on a regular schedule. Prior to the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011, elections in Britain were not on a schedule such as in the U.S. Before, Parliament could be dissolved by the monarch, however, over time the monarchy acted on the advice of the Prime Minister. Now, elections are, similarly to the U.S., more fixed, as Parliament must hold elections every five years (Classroom.synonym.com). Therefore, the U.S. and