American vs. British governments.
Both the governments of Great Britain and the United States are unique when compared with the rest of the world but originate from a similar plan; a constitution. The British constitution, unlike most countries, is not made up of one single written document, but is made up of historically significant charters, laws, and acts of Parliament court decisions, or common law. The constitution of the US, however, is a single written document, which is also made up of government decisions and laws, but only took about fifteen years to create.
Written articles such as the Magna Carta of 1215, the Petition of Right of 1628, and the Bill of Rights of 1689, which were all originally written to limit the power of the English Monarch and promote the concept of due process of law are known as the law of the constitution. All unwritten parts of the constitution are called the conventions of the constitution and these include British customs and practices used by politics, such as the power given to the lower house of Parliament to force the government to resign. The British constitution has been shaped over the course of centuries and is easily open to change. The British constitution is consistently changing with new laws while the US requires an amendment change, making it a much more difficult process.
Britain is ruled by a modern-day monarchy, or constitutional monarchy, headed by a hereditary ruler with very little power other than what she is given by the unwritten constitution. Other than appointing the prime minister, 'Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith' is little more than a figurehead, unlike when England was once ruled by monarchs with absolute power.
