European Governments

Parliamentary system of the United Kingdom

The government system of the United Kingdom is unitary. The Parliament is the lawmaking body of the United Kingdom and the most powerful. The bicameral house of the Parliament is composed of the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

1 What do you think “bicameral” means?

Members of the House of Lords are not directly elected. Most are appointed by the monarch; The House of Lords has little power. Instead, it can make suggestions of ways to improve a bill that is on its way to becoming law. Ironically, they are considered the “upper” house. This does not reflect actual current power. However, this term was coined because the House of Lords was usually comprised of the rich elite. Therefore, they were considered the “upper” part of society.

The citizens of the United Kingdom elect the members of the House of Commons in a general election. There are 646 members: 529 from England, 40 from Wales, 59 from Scotland, and 18 from Northern Ireland. The House of Commons writes and passes the laws for the country. The other two parts of parliament have some rights when creating laws but they are mostly to advise the HOC. The HOC is considered the lower house because their members were directly elected by the “commoners” or poor people of the society. While “upper” and “lower” seems offensive now, the term has continued to be used to refer to the lawmaking group that is more directly elected by the people compared to people selected as the elite.

2. Why do you suppose England has the most members in the House of Commons?

After the election, the leader of the political party with the most members in the House of Commons is asked by the queen to become prime minister. The prime minister is the head of the government, or chief executive, and runs the government on a day to day basis. The current prime minister is Theresa May. She has been prime minister since David Cameron stepped down in 2016 after the passage of Brexit.

3. How is the way the prime minister comes to power in the U.K. different to that of how the president

comes to power in the U.S.?

The monarch is the official head of state. The monarch is a symbol of the country and is sometimes referred to as “The Crown.” The monarch’s duties are mostly ceremonial and are restricted by the constitution of the United Kingdom. Citizens in the United Kingdom have personal freedoms like those in the United States. All citizens are treated equally and have the right to worship as they choose. British citizens have freedom of speech, the right to a fair trial, the right to own property, and the right to security. Voting age is 18.

4. What role does the monarch have in the U.K.?

Federal System of Germany

The German lawmaking body is made up of two houses: the Bundestag and the Bundesrat. The more powerful of the two is the lower house, called the Bundestag. The citizens of each German state elect its members. The Bundestag also selects the Chancellor. The Chancellor is the chief executive of the German government and head of the military. The current Chancellor is Angela Merkel. The President is the head of state. The president’s role is mostly ceremonial and symbolic. The Current president is Joachim Gauck.

5. True or False. Germany’s lawmaking group is bicameral.

6. True or False. Since Germany has a president, it is considered to be a presidential democracy.

The Bundesrat, the upper house of the legislature, represents the interests of the state governments. Each state government selects representatives for the Bundesrat. The sixteen states each have differing numbers of representatives, depending on their population. The Bundesrat is mainly concerned with laws that affect the states, such as education and local government issues.

7. Based upon what you have read so far, what SYSTEM of government do you think Germany has? Why?

The constitution of Germany is called the Basic Law. Germany is a representative democracy and operates under the federal system. Power is divided between member states and the central government. Citizens have freedom of religion and expression. All are viewed as equal before the law. Germans have the same basic freedoms as citizens of the United Kingdom. They have equality, freedom of the press, and protection of the family. The Basic Law also states that Germany is a welfare state. This means that the government guarantees people certain benefits when they are unemployed, poor, disabled, old or sick. The voting age is age 18.

Federation System of the Russian Federation

The Russian Federation is governed under a constitution. The head of state is the president, who is elected by the people. The current president is Vladimir Putin. The head of the government is the premier who is selected by the president. Dmitry Medvedev is the current Premier of Russia. Russia has a federal system of government.

The president of the Russian Federation exercises considerable executive power. There is no vice president, and the legislative branch is far weaker than the executive. The Russian legislature is called the Federal Assembly. The Federal Assembly is bicameral and is divided into two parts: the upper body is called the Federation Council and the lower body is called the State Duma. The president can pass laws without consent from the Duma. He also is head of the armed forces and of the Security Council. In addition the president can also dissolve the Parliament.

8. Who has more power in Russia’s government: the president or the premier?

The Federation Council has two representatives from each of the states. The states appoint

the Council members; they are not elected d irectly by the people. So, the Council represents the

government of the states. One of the Council’s important duties is to approve the president’s choices

of people to fill different government jobs.

9. How is the Federation Council of Russia similar to the legislature of Germany?

The State Duma is larger than the Council. It has 450 members, who are elected by the people. This group controls the budget and makes the laws. They approve the president’s choice for prime minister. The day-to-day running of the government is split between the premier and the president of Russia. Therefore Russia has a semi-presidential form of government in which a president and a prime minister are both active participants in the day-to-day administration of the country.

The constitution provides freedom of speech and freedom of the press. However, in reality, the government controls the media so there are numerous violations of these rights. Voting age is 18.

10. List two reasons why Russia is considered to have a semi-presidential form of government