The biggest difference between Britain and the United States is the political structure. While the similarities between the British and American government are uncountable, there are various differences that are present. Perhaps the most obvious difference between these two country's political structure is the fact that Britain is a constitutional monarchy while the United States is a federal republic. This difference sets the foundation for several less apparent differences. In order to gather an understanding of these differences between the British and American politics, one most explore each country's unique constitution, branches of government, and political parties. Possibly the most noticeable difference between the British and American political systems is their constitutions. A constitution is a body of written and/or unwritten rules, which constitutes the fundamental law of the country. Unlike in the United States where there is only one written constitution, Britain has no single written document that could be easily classified as its constitution. Instead Britain has what are known as constitutional provisions which are various laws created by Acts of …show more content…
The Constitution can be easily viewed by all which enables everyone the ability to learn of their rights as American citizens. When the Constitution was constructed in 1787, it formed the foundation and structure for the United States' federal government. The Constitution was written to last and therefore is not easily altered as it requires moving through each branch of government. Due to the fact that Britain's constitution is not codified, it is far more flexible when in comparison to the United States Constitution. This is not to say that Britain is able to effortlessly make changes, as there are restrictions imposed by European Union
There were a myriad of differences between Great Britain and her American colonies in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, but these differences can be divided into three basic categories: economic, social, and political. The original American settlers came to the colonies for varied reasons, but a common trait among these settlers was that they still considered themselves British subjects. However, as time passed, the colonists grew disenfranchised from England. Separated from the king by three thousand miles and living in a primitive environment where obtaining simple necessities was a struggle, pragmatism became the common thread throughout all daily life in the colonies. It was this pragmatism that led the colonists to create
Rules would be the new topic of discussion at the end of the American Revolution amongst the newly formed Free states that won their independence from Britain. One huge question loomed over the Free states, how could they conduct a civilized way of living without another ruler such as the king of Britain here in America? There needed to be some sort of system that would generate a control to create a unified country. States were acting and conducting business as if each state was its own country and this left the America vulnerable on many fronts. Some of the main issues that surfaced were; How to divide powers between local and national governments? Which laws should be made, and by whom and who would enforce them? I will address some of the differences between the Constitution and The Articles of Confederation.
The separation between Britain and America was an incredibly a tumultuous transition, the conflict resulted in a war after all, but an alliance with Britain is unquestionably the best decision. Britain is incredibly reliant on American exports and it is this reliance that creates the best opportunity for the states to bolster their economy, as well as gain immunity from foreign attacks due to the loss of revenue Britain would take if America was taken over. The same can not be said for France, however. While France certainly helped America revolt against Britain, it was not for purely benevolent reasons. France did not have any sentimental connections to America, they just despised Britain and wanted to fuel the flames of their impending
The Advantages and Disadvantages of an Unwritten Constitution in the UK The UK has an unwritten constitution unlike the U.S.A. Instead Britain's laws, policies and codes are developed through statutes, common law, convention and more recently E.U law. It is misleading to call the British constitution unwritten; a more precise form of classification would be un-codified. This means that the British constitution has no single document, which states principles and rules of a state. However, The British constitution clearly sets out how political power is allocated and where it is legally located. The British constitution is still visible and it defines composition and powers of the main offices and
A constitution is a written document that sets forth the fundamental rules by which a society is governed. Throughout the course of history the United States has lived under two Constitutions since the British-American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain in 1776. First in line was the Articles of Confederation (1789-1789) followed by the Constitution of United States of America (1789-present). The Articles of Confederation was the first formal written Constitution of America that specified how the national government was to operate. Unfortunately, the Articles did not last long. Under the words of the Article’s power was limited; Congress could make decisions, but had no power to enforce them. Also the articles stated
As we have previously discussed America and Britain had different beliefs about representation. America believed in actual representation while England believed in virtual representation, but how did this affect the growing differences and problems between America and Britain. The first and arguably most important problem that arose was taxes. Many colonists did not believe that Parliament had any right to impose taxes on them when they were not represented in Europe. The second problem that arose was the believe that England was becoming a tyranny. “...republican political thinkers acknowledged that government must exercise power, but simultaneously cautioned that power could easily overwhelm liberty. Too much power in the hands of a ruler
The legislature in the U.S. and the U.K. differ in some pretty important ways. First, in regards to Parliament, the entire legislature is dissolved at least once every five years, and new elections are held for every seat. In the United States, Representatives and Senators are elected based on term lengths instead. Second, in the UK, the House of Commons is mostly the only house in Parliament that gets elected directly by the people. This is different from Congress because, in the US, both the House and the Senate are elected. The Legislative process itself also differs markedly between Congress and Parliament. In the U.S, legislation must pass in the same form through both houses of Congress before it can be sent to the President's desk. Either
The UK constitution sets out the powers and limitations of the government, as well as the rights of citizens, it is not fully codified and is generally based on conventions. This is in stark contrast to other constitutions, most notably America's, which is fully codified and available to all citizens.
The United States and Britain have had a “special relationship” since World War II. Winston Churchill made the expression “special relationship” it stands for the military, political and financial support that has existed between the United States and Britain ever since their partnership in World War II. The special relationship stills lives on in the United States and Britain in four key ways; military involvement, security, economy and traded.
Countless people within our world note the constitution of the United Kingdom as an admirable example of a democracy existing with an uncodified constitution, arguably one of only two in the world- seeing as there are at least several other countries that maintain uncodified features. Arguably there are several strengths to the UK constitution, such as its flexibility, the fact that it has democratic rule, implements effective government and that it is based on history and tradition. On the other hand, it debatably has its weaknesses: centralization, its occasional incoherency, lack of protection of rights and the rise of elective dictatorships have backed criticism. Firstly the main strength of the British constitution is its flexibility,
Throughout this paper I will focus on data from the United Kingdom and America and focus solely on the disadvantages that ethnic minority groups endure which effect their health status. In doing this, I will highlight several explanations put forth by social scientists, such as cultural, socioeconomic and racial approaches whilst incorporating different literature, such as the works of Bartley (2004), Nettleton (2013) and Nazroo (1997). Before exploring the many explanations that social scientists offer to explain the ethnic differences in health status, it is important to acknowledge that gathering data on ‘racial or ethnic minorities’ is extremely problematic. This is because there are not any universally agreed definitions of ethnic or racial groups and definitions change over time (Aspinall, 2002). Such problems of the lack of conceptual clarification stem from whether researchers presume that race and ethnicity are a biological or a social characteristic. To overcome this problem, throughout this paper, I will use the term ‘racial or ethnic minority’ to refer to any group of people who are exposed to unfavourable treatment because of their ‘national origins, shared social histories, or religion’ as outlined in the works of Bartley (2004: 151). Until recent years there has not been a huge amount of literature exploring the patterns between ethnicity and health status. The literature that was available often focussed on biomedical explanations or focused on diseases more
The United States and the United Kingdom have both become industrialized democracies, however by saying that it may seem as though they have many similarities which is true, but there are many more differences in the political systems they use and the way the states are governed. Just because United States and the United Kingdom share these similarities and differences in their Presidential System, and the formation of their democracies, the United States is viewed by far as a much weaker state due to their Presidential System, but this was all deliberate.
Currently Britain as most of its European counterparts adopts an uncodified constitution, such a constitution is derived from a number of sources and is favoured for its ability to evolve and mould to suit the pragmatic nature of British politics. In the US however a codified constitution is adopted which originates from a single written source, its clarity and rigidity prevents the formation of an elective dictatorship and is therefore preferred.
A constitutional system within a country could be classified as one of the most important structures for democracy; it should not only illustrate the structures and power of a government, but also state the relationship between government and individuals. Constitutionalism can be classified into two distinct categories: a codified written Constitutions (ie: United States), and an uncodified unwritten constitution (ie: United Kingdom). Some consider the UK constitution as a risk to the democratic society due to its flexibility and the chance of forming dictatorship. However, others believe that an uncodified constitution could be beneficial within a constant changing and developing society. Hence, rules and agreements could be easily modified and become up-to-date under an uncodified constitution, whereas, a codified Constitution is less flexible with complex amendment procedures and often seen as out-dated.
The British constitution can be defined as a framework of rules which interpret the way in which power is separated between the various parts of the state and relationship between the state and individual. The British Constitution structures, administers and governs state power. Democracy, economic performance as well as human rights, are all outcomes of a countries constitution. The British constitution is the symbolic function of defining the nation and its goals.