Compare and contrast the governments of Great Britain and Germany. (Unit 4, Lesson 3 -page 1 &2, World Geography online text book page 391)
Both Great Britain and Germany are parliamentary democracies, meaning that their governments are elected by the people and have a parliament that holds the real power. However, there are some key differences between the two countries' governmental systems.
In Great Britain, the head of state is a constitutional monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. The monarch's role is largely ceremonial, with the real power held by Parliament and the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is the head of government and is responsible for running the country and making policy decisions. The Parliament is made up of two houses, the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and is responsible for making laws and overseeing the government.
In Germany, the head of state is the President, who has a more ceremonial role compared to the Prime Minister in Great Britain. The President is elected by a federal assembly and is responsible for representing the country internationally and signing laws. The head of government in Germany is the Chancellor, who is similar to the Prime Minister in Great Britain. The Chancellor is the head of the executive branch and is responsible for running the government and making policy decisions. The German Parliament is known as the Bundestag and is responsible for making laws and overseeing the government, similar to the British Parliament.
One key difference between the two countries' governments is the electoral system. In Great Britain, the electoral system is based on a first-past-the-post system, where the candidate with the most votes in each constituency wins a seat in Parliament. In Germany, the electoral system is based on a mixed-member proportional representation system, where voters cast two votes – one for a local candidate and one for a political party. This system ensures that the composition of the Bundestag reflects the proportion of votes each party receives.
Overall, the governments of Great Britain and Germany are similar in that they are both parliamentary democracies, but they differ in terms of their head of state, electoral systems, and the specific roles and powers of their leaders.