Unit4ThePoliticalSystemintheUSandtheUK.docx

1、Unit4ThePoliticalSystemintheUSandtheUK POLITICAL SYSTEM IN THE UK .Difficult points :1. the functions of the state leaders and party leaders in these two countries.2. Make a comparison of the political systems between the UK and the USAKey points :1.The functions of major political parties and other

2、 government organs in these two countries.2.The general idea about the political systems in the UK and USA. Teaching Allotment :Period 1-2 :Review Warm-upDemonstration :Text A POLITICAL SYSTEM IN THE UKThe Structure of British GovernmentThe ExecutiveMonarchPrime MinisterThe Civil ServiceThe legislat

3、ureParliamentHouse of LordsHouse of CommonsThe JudiciaryCase study Labor Party Consevative PartyPeriod 3-4 :Demonstration :Text B POLITICAL SYSTEM IN THE USAThe Constitution and the Bill of RightsThe ConstitutionThe Structure of American Government The legislative branch (the Congress); The executiv

4、e branch (the President); The judicial branch (the Supreme Court) A more detailed tree diagram The Federal System 4 basic principlesrepublicanismfederalismseparation of powerchecks and balancesCase study Democratic Party Republic PartySummaryAssignment Teaching procedure :Period 1-2 :Review Tll ask

5、Ss some questions about what theyve leanred last time :Q1 : When was the U.S founded ?Q2 : who was the second U.S President ?Warm-upTalk about the following pictures: What roles or functions do they play in their respective political systems?Buckingham Palace: Originally built in 1703, the palace is

6、 now the official London residence of the British monarch located in the City of Westminster. The palace is a setting for state occasions and royal entertaining, and a major tourist attraction.Royal Coat of Arms of the UK: The official coat of arms of the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth I

7、I. These arms are used by the Queen in her official capacity as monarch, and are officially known as her Arms of Dominion. The White House: It is the official home and principal workplace of the presidents of the United States. Built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the late

8、 Georgian style, it has been the executive residence of every U.S. President since John Adams. When Thomas Jefferson moved into the home in 1801, he, with architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe, expanded the building outward, creating two colonnades which were meant to conceal stables and storage.Demonstr

9、ation :The Structure of British GovernmentThe ExecutiveMonarch The head of state and theoretical source of executive, judicial and legislative power in the UK is the British monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. However, sovereignty in the UK no longer rests with the monarch, whose role is largely

10、a symbolic one. The queen presides over the State Opening of Parliament. The queen has to give the Royal Assent of agreement to any new law that is passed by parliament. She is kept in touch with the government by a weekly meeting with the Prime Minister in Buckingham Palace. Prime MinisterThe monar

11、ch appoints a Prime Minister, who then selects about twenty other ministers who make up the Cabinet. In making the selection, the Prime Minister must have some regard for the feelings of the backbenchers if they want to keep their support. The Civil ServiceImplementation of the Ministers decisions i

12、s carried out by a permanent politically neutral organization known as the civil service. Its constitutional role is to support the Government of the day regardless of which political party is in power. Civil servants are officials who serve the elected political government. They themselves are not

13、elected, and remain in office despite changes in government. Top civil servants offer advice about the possible consequences of policy, and are also responsible for implementing the policies of the government. The legislatureParliamentParliament is the centre of the political system in the United Ki

14、ngdom and is the supreme legislative body. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Nowadays the House of Commons is the most powerful part of Parliament. Before the governments policies become laws they have to be approved by both Houses. Parliam

15、ent has to ensure that the Government is working properly and that its policies and decisions are in the public interest.The House of LordsThe House of Lords was previously a hereditary, aristocratic chamber. It is currently a mixture of hereditary members of 26 Bishops, 800 hereditary peers or peer

16、esses who have inherited their titles and are automatically members of the chamber for life, and 387 life peers who are appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister. The House of Lords is currently also the final court of appeal within the United Kingdom, although in practice only a sm

17、all number of the House of Lords, known as the Law Lords, hears judicial cases.House of CommonsThe House of Commons consists of 650 Members of Parliament (MPs) who are elected by the people to be their representatives. Each MP represents the voters in an area called a constituency. MPs hold their se

18、ats only for the life-time of a Parliament. They have to be reelected when a new government is formed at a General Election.The JudiciaryThe Lord Chancellor is the head of the judiciary in England and Wales. He appoints judges and magistrates for criminal courts on behalf of the Sovereign. The Lord

19、Chancellor falls into all the three arms of state, taking roles in the executive, legislative and judiciary. However, the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 removes much of the power in this last role and gives it to others in the British government, mainly the newly created post of Secretary of State f

20、or Constitutional Affairs. Period 3-4 :Demonstration :Text B POLITICAL SYSTEM IN THE USAThe Constitution and the Bill of RightsThe ConstitutionIn 1787 delegates from the states met in Philadelphia to revise the Articles, but they did more than that. They wrote the Constitution , which was finally ad

21、opted by the thirteen states by 1790. The Constitution is still in force. It sets the basic form of government of three separate branches, each one having powers (checks and balances) over the other: the executive branch (the President); the legislative branch (the Congress); the judicial branch (th

22、e Supreme Court) The Structure of American Government RepublicanismA republican government is one in which people elect representatives to govern. In the US, the people vote for members of the House of Representatives and for members of the Senate. FederalismFederalism is the division of power betwe

23、en a central government and the state units. When conflicts emerge, the central government takes the upper hand. Generally, the states were required to give up the power only when they were in the way of an effective national government. separation of powerSeparation of powers is the division of the

24、 law-making, law-enforcing and law-interpreting powers among the independent legislative, executive and judicial branches of government. Such a division is designed to prevent any branch from becoming too powerful.Checks and BalancesChecks and balances means each branch of government scrutinize and

25、restrain the other branches so as to prevent one branch from ignoring or overpowering the others. See a demonstrative diagram for more information.Case StudyMajor Political Parties in the UKHistory of Party politics:Prior to the mid-19th (loose alliances of interests and individuals): The Tories (托利

26、党) the landed gentry, the Church of England and the Church of Scotland The Whigs (辉格党) the newly emerging moneyed industrial classesBetween the mid 19th century and 1920s: The Tories the Conservative Party (保守党) The Whigs the Liberal Party (自由党)Post 1920s: The Conservative Party The Conservative and

27、 Unionist Party The Labour Party Alliance between the trades unions and various socialist societies (工党) The Liberal Democrats Liberal Party declined and merged with the Social Democrats (自由民主党)Introduction to party politics (2)Small parties do not have their place. WHY?The UKs First Past the Post (

28、简单多数票当选) electoral system.First Past the Post was coined as an analogy to horse racing 1. The winner of the race is the first to pass a particular point on the track. 2. All other runners automatically and completely lose. 3. The payoff is “winner-takes-all“ (赢者统吃). 4. The candidate must receive the

29、 largest number of votes in their favour wins.The Conservative PartyThe Conservative Party believes that human nature is imperfect, and man need to be constrained. Therefore central control and a strong legal system is necessary to guarantee individual freedom. Any social change should be gradual an

30、d cautious. We should be pragmatic and cautious. They are conservative when it comes to traditional values regarding family and respect for authority, but have a free-market approach to the economy. They also stress its commitment to state welfare provisions as necessary. History 1. The Tory Party (

31、from the late 18th and early 19th Centuries) The party still often called the Tory Party and its members still commonly referred to as Tories. 2. Public membership: the largest 3. History: the oldest: 4. Election victories: the most successful in British history 5. The most successful political part

32、y in the world.The official name: The Conservative and Unionist Party 1. Originated from the merge with the Liberal Unionist Party in 1912 2. maintained the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1886-1921 policy) in opposition to Irish nationalist and republican aspirations 3. Scotlands allied Unionist Party indepen