英美概况第二章.doc

British Political System The British political system of government is based on the theory of triumvirate,according to which the state power is divided into three：the legislation, the administration and the jurisdiction. Actually,in Great Britain,the legislation and the administration are jammed together and the organ of state power is in Cabinet, whose head（the Prime Minister) and members must be Parliament Members. For many centuries, Britain has kept its old-fashioned government, which is shared by three supreme authorities：the Monarch（the King or Queen）, the Lords (the hereditary nobility), and the Commons （the ordinary people）. The Constitutional Monarchy The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy, meaning that the power of the monarch is limited by the country’s constitution. The head of state is a king or queen, whose power has been greatly reduced since the Glorious Revolution of 1688. In practice, the Sovereign reigns, but does not rule. The U.K. is governed by His or Her Majesty’s Government —a body of Ministers who are the leading members of the political party that wins the general election. The British Monarchy with hereditary tradition stands for the continuity of British history dating back to Anglo-Saxon times. The monarchy is the oldest institution of government. The Constitutional Monarchy started at the end of the 17th century. Succession is founded on the hereditary principle. Sons of the Sovereign have precedence over daughters in succeeding to the throne. The order of succession can be altered only by common consent given by the countries of the Commonwealth. The direct line of succession, which guaranteed the continuity of the monarchy, has been lasting for about 1000 years, with only one break between 1649 and 1660 when a republic was established under Oliver Cromwell and his son. The Queen—Elizabeth II The present Sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II was born in London on April 21,1926，and came to the throne on Feb