Great Britain and the United States share a similar history and governmental background, yet the two countries have taken vastly different routes so far as government is concerned.  The United States developed a presidential system of government that disperses power to several places.  Great Britain concentrate power into one body with few checks on what it can do.  Why did this happen?

    The most likely answer is that monarchs have ruled Great Britain for centuries and the power has always been located in a central location.  So, the government continues to concentrate the power, but now the leaders are democratically elected.  The United States on the other hand, rebelled against such centralization of power and so dispersed it to make sure that tyranny would be that much harder to put in place.

    Great Britain has a long history of struggles against a central power, whether it be from the Pope in Rome or a tyrannous king on the throne.  Many of its famous heroes, whether they be fictitious or real, struggle against a tyrant of some sort or an evil which threatens freedom.  These heroes include names such as Robin Hood and King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.  These types of heroes have transferred themselves over to American culture.  Some perfect examples are the X-Men, G.I. Joe, and Superman, all of whom are fighting for the “American Way”.  Why should this be so important as to be passed down through the generations and across an ocean?  The answer would seem to lie in geography.  The British Isles have always been separate from the rest of Europe and from each other and so have developed an independent mentality.  This mentality; particularly when coupled with the natural human inclinations; has led to a yearning for as much freedom as possible, which can be dangerous.  However, the British have learned how to channel these desires quite nicely.

    The Americans, on the other hand, have not learned how to channel this desire quite properly, especially as of late.  While there are checks and balances in our government, they have eroded to a certain degree where the Founders were trying to limit the influence of the fickle public opinion.  When the government was originally set up, the Senate was created specifically to give the states a voice and to put a stopper in the path of the passions of the people.  With the advent of populism, this check was demolished and the people now directly elect the Senate.  The first step in the right direction would be to make the Senate once again appointed by the states.

    The answer to the question of exactly why the US and UK developed differently lies in the fact that the American Founding Fathers enumerated exactly what the powers of the government are, whereas the British; with their centuries of experience; allow tradition and convention to guide them.  Is one better than the other?  Or are they merely adaptations of each other that allow democracy to work in different places?  It is the opinion of this writer that the British system is better.  It is more flexible and allows for greater change should the need arise.  The British system does have the disadvantage of being easily changed, however the chances of a dramatic change happening would appear to be extremely small.

    The American system has the huge disadvantage of being hard to change and huge obstacles being place in the way of needed legislation.  However, its biggest advantage lies in the possible splitting of the legislative and executive branches of government between the two major parties.  This splitting does lead to gridlock, however it ensures that legislation will simply not benefit one party or another.  The disadvantage of the splitting lies in its almost inherent partisanship and grandstanding.  The American system also leaves no one person or group accountable, rather no one knows whom to blame for problems.

    In conclusion, the British and American systems of government are amazingly similar, however the differences are just as numerous.  Given the fact that the two governmental systems emerged from the same culture, this fact is amazing.  However, the governments have become more and more similar as time goes by and as the two countries become closer and closer allies.  While both have their downsides, the British system would appear to be the more advantageous of the two.