Parliamentary System and Presidential Systems Explained

 

 

Errare humanum est, perservare diabolicum.  (Seneca)

To err is human, to persist is diabolical.

Preamble to the United States Constitution

Homework: copy the preamble to the U.S. Constitution three times.  Complete this assignment on a sheet of paper in your own handwriting. Do not use abbreviations and write neatly.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

An Introduction to Parliament

 Watch the video. On a sheet of your own paper, answer the questions below. Write neatly and follow the rules of the English language.

VOCABULARY

scrutinize - examine or inspect closely and thoroughly.

constituent - being a voting member of a community or organization and having the power to appoint or elect.

constituency - a body of voters in a specified area who elect a representative to a legislative body.

manifesto - a public declaration of policy and aims, especially one issued before an election by a political party or candidate.

lobby (v.) - seek to influence (a politician or public official) on an issue.

lobby (n.) - a group of people seeking to influence politicians or public officials on a particular issue.

petition - a formal written request, typically one signed by many people, appealing to authority with respect to a particular cause.

 

1) What two events in the history of the United Kingdom played a major role in starting the process of creating Parliament as a representative legislature?

2) What are the three parts of Parliament?

3) What is the House of Commons and how many members does it have?

4) How are members of the House of Commons chosen?

5) What is an MP?

6) What is the other House of Parliament?

7) How is the monarch involved in Parliament?

8) What do Select Committees do?

9) What are the seven stages in making a law?

10) How often do elections for MPs occur?

11) What are the elections for MPs called?

12) At what age can citizens of the United Kingdom begin to vote?

Things You Need to Know For the Upcoming Civics Exam

 Branches of Philosophy Power Point     <<<<<< Link

You will need to know the definitions and descriptions of the five branches of philosophy.  You will also need to know the questions they attempt to find answers to

The Difference Between Authoritarian Government and a Representative Liberal Democracy  << Link

Unitary, Federal, and Confederation Systems of Government  <<<<<< Link

Know how governing power is distributed in the three types of government forms: unitary, federal, and confederation.

Authoritarian vs. Representative Liberal Democracies

 

Unitary, Federal, and Confederations Systems

 
Unitary governments, federations, and confederations are types of governments that can be found operating in the world today. Each is a potentially successful means of structuring a state. What separates them is the role of the central government within the state.
 
Unitary System
In a unitary system of government, the central government holds most of the power. The unitary state still has local and regional governmental offices, but these are under the auspices of the central government. The United Kingdom is one example of a unitary nation. Parliament holds the governing power in the U.K., granting power to and removing it from the local governments when it sees fit. France is also a unitary government. The national government rules over the various provinces or departments. These local bodies carry out the directions of the central government, but never act independently.

1) How is power distributed in a unitary system?
 
Federalist System
Federalism is marked by a sharing of power between the central government and state, provincial or local governing bodies. The United States is one example of a federalist republic. The U. S. Constitution grants specific powers to the national government while retaining other powers for the states. For example, the federal government can negotiate treaties with other countries while state and local authorities cannot. State governments have the power to set and enforce driving laws while the federal government lacks that ability. Modern Germany is also a federalist republic. The national government shares power with provincial political entities, known as “Länder.”

2) How is power divided in a federal system?
 
Confederations
A confederation has a weak central authority that derives all its powers from the state or provincial governments. The states of a confederation retain all the powers of an independent nation, such as the right to maintain a military force, print money, and make treaties with other national powers. The United States began its nationhood as a confederate state, under the Articles of Confederation. However, the central government was too weak to sustain the burgeoning country. Therefore, the founding fathers shifted to a federal system when drafting the Constitution. A contemporary example of a confederation is the Commonwealth of Independent States, which is comprised of several nations that were formerly part of the Soviet Union. These nations formed a loose partnership to enable them to form a stronger national body than each individual state could maintain.
 

3) List the features of a confederation.

4) In the history of the United States, which systems were used for a national government?

Advantages and Disadvantages
One has only to look at the advantages and disadvantages of each system to see the greatest differences among them. In a unitary system, laws and policies throughout the state are uniform, laws are more easily passed since they need only be approved by the central government, and laws are rarely contradictory since there is only one body making those laws. There are disadvantages of this type of government. The central government may lose touch with or control over a distant province or too much power in the central authority could result in tyranny. In a federal system, a degree of autonomy is given to the individual states while maintaining a strong central authority and the possibility of tyranny is very low. Federal systems still have their share of power struggles, such as those seen in the American Civil War. Confederate governments are focused on the needs of the people in each state, the government tends to be more in touch with its citizenry, and tyranny is almost impossible. Unfortunately, confederations often break apart due to internal power struggles and lack the resources of a strong centralized government.

5) Of the three types of systems, which gives the greatest amount of power to the central government?

6)  List the advantages and disadvantages for each of the following:

     6a) unitary

     6b) confederation

     6c) federal