16.

Distinguish between the features of the political systems of USA and UK, based on Leacock's classificatory scheme.  

The features :

i. Heads of State and Government - In the U.K., the head of state and head of government are different roles. In the United States, the president assumes both positions, and carries out responsibilities similar to the combined duties of the queen and prime minister.

ii. Formal Constitutions - The Constitution -- penned in 1787 in Philadelphia and ratified by 1790 -- is the supreme law of the United States. The U.K. has no formally written constitution. Instead, what may be referred to as its constitution is the entire body of its laws and principles that deal with regulating the populace and running the government.

iii. Legislative Bodies - The U.S. has a Congress, with a Senate and a House of Representatives that are completely separate from the executive and judicial branches of government. In the U.S. system, each of the three branches of government acts as a check and balance on the others. Both the House and Senate are elected bodies, and their powers are outlined in the Constitution The British have a Parliament, with the upper House of Lords and the lower House of Commons. Members of the House of Commons are elected by their constituencies, and the leader of the dominant party in Commons is appointed by the queen to be prime minister. The House of Lords is an unelected body of peers that can check the power of the Commons by reviewing and amending bills.

Leacock first divides them into two classes, viz., despotic and democratic States. In a despotic State, one man exercises supreme power without any reference to the will or wishes of the people. But this form of State, says Leacock, is now becoming a thing of the past. In a democracy, supreme power rests ultimately with the people. Democracies are further divided into limited monarchies, like that of England, Belgium, etc., and republics, e.g., U.S.A., France, etc. In a limited monarchy, a king or queen is the supreme head of the State, but he or she exercises only limited or nominal authority, while real power is in the hands of a legislature. King’s authority is limited by the constitution. In a republic the supreme executive head is either directly or indirectly elected by the people for a definite number of years.

Each of these forms of governments is further divided into unitary and federal forms. In a unitary government, all sovereign powers are in the hands of a single, central government. The State may be divided into provinces, districts, cantons, etc., but they are merely administrative units, possessing no autonomy or sovereign authority. In a federal State, there are two sets of govemments-a central and two or more federating governments of the component units of the federation. Each of them exercises supreme authority within its sphere of authority as defined by the constitution. Unitary and federal States are further divided into parliamentary and presidential or non-parliamentary types. This distinction is made on the basis of the relation between the legislature and the executive.