英国文学概况课程论文

ABSTRACT

America has only about two hundred year’s history; however, it just takes only half a century to become the most powerful nation in the world. Without doubt, the Democratic system has made great contribution to the steady and diversity development of the United States. At the same time, some researchers put forward criticism about on it. The representatives are democratic of decision and efficient of decision. After having won the election, Obama becomes the first black American president. More and more focus has been shifted to him and his new policy to relax financial crisis and ease international situation.

English majors need to know American political system minutely, thinking much more about the system deeply, even though it is extremely complex.

The analysis of American political system in this thesis works with three types of researching method: quote, giving examples, and classification and documentary research. And the Examination of the issues from different angle includes 3 parts: Government, the Election and the two parties. Through the analysis mentioned above, a brief overlook of American political system can be acquaintanted.

Keywords: Government Electoral System the Two Parties

1. Introduction

The federal political system has begun for the first time in the United States and it was seriously challenged by academics around the world for almost 50 years. There are essential features of the system in the United States but taking it as a whole. The originators would like a system that could limit the powers of the central government, allowing for more independent branches of government and providing a "check and balance" system.

The founders of the United States dreamed of an effective political system. They strongly agreed with Lord Acton who had asserted that power tends to corrupt and an absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely. In short, they wanted a restrained and effective power. The base rested in a constitution that has witnessed very few changes over years. Its 3 main principles are highly respected. One of the principles is the federalism. The other is the separation of powers and the last one is the check and balance.

Through the analyses we can conclude that the American political system has potential problems. In a word, taking democracy and efficiency into consideration is a hope of all the people. However, any political system is not perfect. The future of the American political system, from any point of

view, is not consummate, neither. However, it has a forte，and it is that the system can be further developed.

2. American Political System

First, the recessive question of strong government will be detailed and the shortcomings of the US--Electoral system and the abuses of tow political parties.

2.1 Recessive Question of Strong Government

The ideal of free individual has had a profound effect on the way Americans view their government. Transitionally, there has been a deep suspicion that government is the natural enemy of freedom. Even if it is elected by the people .the bigger and stronger the governments becomes the more dangerous many Americans believe it is to their individual freedom.

This suspicion of strong government goes back to the men who led the American Revolution in 1776.these men believe the government of Great Britain want to discourage the freedom and economic opportunities of the American colonists by excessive taxes and other measures which would ultimately benefit the British arioso curacy and monarchy .Thomas Paine, the famous revolutionary writer, expressed the view of other American revolutions when he said , government even in its best state is but a necessary evil, in its worst state, an intolerable one.

2.2 The Organization of the American Government

The way in which the national government is organized in the U.S. constitution provides an excellent illustration of the American suspicion of government power. The provides of the constitution are more concerned with keeping the government from doing evil than with enabling it to do well. The national government, For example, is divided into three separate branches .this division of government power is based on the belief that if any one part or branch of government has all, or even most of the power .It will become a threat to freedom of individual citizens.

Separation of powers in a democratic system is fine, but the specific implementation of the decree when the trouble comes. In the economic crisis, some urgent policy, usually pass through the layers of policies and laws, implementation of the policy added to the trouble. Even the most successful U.S. separation of powers, how to resolve conflicts between the three departments are still occasional obstruction. 1929 during the Great Depression, Roosevelt took office a series of decrees, made by Congress authorized the President in the history of the United States unprecedented power. But the U.S. Federal Court dismissed a number of decrees often. Results in January 1935 the Supreme Court of 8 to 1 votes, Roosevelt declared a "National Industrial Recovery Act" unconstitutional. In the same year that an unemployed worker tried to use the "minimum wage" to get the salary compensation, the lawyer charged that the bill is a direct violation of Article 14 amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

Therefore, for the implementation of Roosevelt's New Deal, on March 6, 1936 in a "fireside chats" finger at the judiciary, asked Congress to give him unlimited increase in the number of Supreme Court judges, indirectly placed the judiciary under the jurisdiction of the executive branch next. This caused heated debate nationwide. Later, the Federal Supreme Court of Justice that the

"minimum wage" is not unconstitutional. Some people think that judge is to ensure the separation of powers was the political structure and yield.

2.3 The Shortcomings of the U.S. Electoral System

First, the time is too long and boring. The Primary election from the beginning to the end is nearly a year. If you count pre-primary preparatory work, there are one and a half or two years, it was a marathon game. Every four years. This long and frequent elections, and almost repeated the same process and content, will naturally make people feel tired.

In addition, the long campaign is not accessible to the President or the Congress to fulfill their duties. If it is submitted to the president, he would have to divide part of his energy to finish it, which may take more than a year from the beginning to the end, of course, he could not go all out to deal with all the affairs of state. Relationship between the two major party presidential election was the immediate interests of the race, the two parties is bound to focus mainly used in the campaign, sometimes a number of domestic and foreign policy issues will be as a card to attack each other, even at the expense of national interests.

Second, the high cost of game of the rich. U.S. election campaign costs were raising trend. U.S. presidential election is a typical money politics (of course this does not mean that corruption or "black gold" politics), although the candidate's campaign funds donated by the relevant laws and regulations strictly limit, but the money donated to political parties but there is no clear limit (to be called "soft money"), political parties, the transfer can be used to help candidates campaign. Money politics make poor people stay away, even looking and boring. V oters do not participate, the poor majority. Poor that the elections game of the rich have nothing to do with them. Although the Constitution was born in the United States, 35 years of age, resided in the United States for 14 years who are eligible to become U.S. president, but the huge amount of election expenses limit to shift a lot of people outside the field in the contest.

2.4 The Abuse of Two Political Parties

To the partisan struggle, the two parties monopolize the political arena. Democrats and Republicans have monopolized the U.S. politics for nearly a half century, the values of the two parties and the political agenda in many ways similar to the United States is a pluralistic society. There are many interest groups. Many interest groups do not have a political representative, and the existing political system it is difficult to make the rise of the third party.

In the vote, many people are concerned about the state affairs to take "the right to utilize the better of two evils" approach, or simply refuse to vote. Some experts said that voter turnout, only 10% thought that the Democratic Party or the Republican Party to represent them. However, some experts also believe that the two-party system more than the multi-party system is conducive to maintaining political stability. Moreover, in multi-party system, many voters received the ruling party does not support the ruling party than the United States high. In the multi-party state, the ruling party and main opposition party malcontents, to vote for the other party; in the United States, these people are not voting, the real is the same. Some small parties in the United States such as the Reform Party, though have gone through the current attitude of fierce criticism, their

reform nearly made no difference.

3.Conclusion

Through a long learning of the textbook and some reference books, I know that American political system has been criticized as being too excessive for its campaign spending. The underlying idea the founder saw was that by adopting such complex mechanisms, it would be less possible that a majority of the whole will have a common motive exists, inversely it will be more difficult for all of those people who have a feeling of discovering their own strength, and acting in unison with each other.

However, when reading some reference books, there are also some questions not very clear to me, and the election process is still obscure. Because of the plain of knowledge, the analysis is not incisive, and the essay needs to be corrected and also to be complemented with more details.

Since the American political system is meant to be complex, it contains two parties, constitution, “check and balance”, and the election of president. So it is worthy of researching and inquiring from different angles.

Bibliography

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