It is impossible to learn about a country’s history and culture without understanding how it is governed. Having a basic understanding of the governance systems of two major English-speaking countries, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, is crucial. With the help of a comparison of their structure and functions, one can gain a better knowledge of the government systems of the United Kingdom and the United States.
To begin with, it is necessary to address political structures of two countries. the political regimes in the United States and the United Kingdom are similar in certain ways, but they are vastly different in terms of government structures and constitutions. The first major resemblance is that both countries’ political regimes are democracies. Then there are the constitutions of both countries, which are relatively old but still valid as the highest legal texts. Moving on to the contrasts, the United Kingdom is a parliamentary democracy, whereas the United States is a representative democracy. Furthermore, the United States and the United Kingdom have fundamentally distinct types of government, with the United States being a presidential republic and the United Kingdom being a constitutional monarchy.
After the failings of the Articles of Confederation, the United States constructed its current constitution. It established a strong central government with constitutional powers that shared authority with state and local governments (Branches of the U.S.). The United Kingdom, on the other hand, does not have a single document that serves as its constitution; instead, constitutional provisions are enacted through many Acts of Parliament. It is incredibly difficult to ratify the United States constitution through political means. Acts of Parliament of the United Kingdom, on the other hand, can be modified by a simple majority in the legislature (How Government Works). The separation of powers between the executive, legislative, and judicial departments of government is the most essential feature of the American constitution. This division of abilities allows each branch to act independently while also allowing them to check each other’s powers if one branch goes too far. Within the three branches, checks and balances serve to limit but also connect each, allowing them to function together while remaining independent. In the United Kingdom, however, there is no such explicit separation of powers. One of the parties’ ministers must be a member of the government.
With regards to the culture of two countries, Protestantism, as well as representative democracy, may be traced back to the foundations of Western civilisation. The Industrial Revolution ushered in the most significant improvements in British transportation, manufacturing, and agriculture in history. British literature, poetry, and movies are now held in high regard around the world, on par with music and television (Plumb). It may be claimed that the United States of America is a competitive nation in the quest for success. Individual independence, material affluence, and hard labor combined with freedom speak volumes about the American character.
To conclude, the United States and the United Kingdom, two of the most powerful democracies in the contemporary age, serve as models for democratic governance. Despite the fact that both states have democratic governments, they operate in quite different ways as states and have very different governmental structures. In terms of culture, they also differ as the United States consists of different cultures that came here to settle the new continent while the United Kingdom is an old Empire.
Works Cited
“Branches of the U.S. Government | USAGov.” Usa.Gov, Web.
“How Government Works – GOV.UK.” Gov.Uk, Web.
Plumb, J. H. “Britain and America. The Cultural Tradition.” Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London, vol. 31, no. 2, The Royal Society, 1977, pp. 227–43.