1.

THE MONARCHY:
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a constitutional
monarchy (or parliamentary democracy) with either king or queen as Head of State, who
must be supported by Parliament. The Monarchy is the oldest institution of government,
going back to at least the 9th century. The only interruption in the monarchy was the
republic of 1649-1660.
The Queen is Head of State and a Symbol of national unity. The Royal title in Britain is
"Elizabeth II 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". By tradition, the Queen is also the Head of the Church of England
and the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.
There are interesting contradictions in the role of the monarch: According to the
written law, the Queen has absolute power Judged from the appearance, it would be seen
that the Queen is above the law with the government belonging to her. The Queen has the
right to choose anyone to be the Prime Minister, but in reality, she chooses the head of the
party that wins in the general election so that she can enjoy the majority of support. The
Queen can also appoint other ministerial positions and if she wants, she can dismiss them.
But in practice, it is the Prime Minister who chooses the ministers. The Queen has the
right to summon or dissolve the Parliament before a general election. She can refuse to
give the "Royal Assent" to a bill even though the bill has been passed in the Houses of
Parliament and as a result, it cannot become law. But so far, there has never been any
king or queen who said no to the bills.

2. THE PARLIAMENT - THE LEGISLATURE:

The British Parliament contains three separate elements: the Monarch, the House of
Lords and the House of Commons and has a maximum duration of five years. A general
election is held before the end of each term. Some important functions of Parliament are
to make law, to provide the means of carrying on the work of government, to scrutinize
government policy and to debate major issues. The British Parliament works in the Palace
of Westminster, also called the Houses of Parliament. This is a very big building with a
lot of facilities and two large chambers. The House of Lords is where the Lords meet and
the House of Commons, where the Commons work.
Over the centuries, the balance of power in Parliament has changed. The Queen's
duties are purely formal and the House of Commons has become more powerful than the
House of Lords

3. THE HOUSE OF COMMONS:

Members of the House of Commons are called members of Parliament (MPs), elected
by a majority of votes at a general election or a by-election. A by-election is held when an
MP dies or resigns, or given a peerage. Britain is divided into local constituencies, each
of which has one representative in the House of Commons. The chief officer is the
Speaker, elected by the MPs. He is politically neutral, i.e. he is not controlled by any
party and does not vote, and preside over the House during debates. The Speaker has full
authority to enforce the rules of the House and must guard against the abuse of procedure
and protect minority rights. He can adjourn the sitting or even end a discussion so that a
certain matter can be put to the vote. He has the right to order members to leave the
Chamber if they have broken the rules of behavior. He supervises voting and announces
final result, but he cannot speak in debate. Beside the Speaker, there are Deputy Speakers,
chosen from the members of the government party and the Opposition.

4. THE PRIME MINISTER:

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northem Ireland (PM)
is the head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and
Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior ministers, who are government department
heads) are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Monarch, to
Parliament, to their political party and ultimately to the electorate. By tradition, the Prime
Minister is the First Lord of Treasury and the Minister for the Civil Service. He is the
person who wins most support in the parliament and presides over the Cabinet. He
recommends to the Queen important positions such as archbishops of the Church of
England, bishops and deans, senior judges and lords-lieutenants. Functionally speaking,
the Prime Minister seems to be quite the opposition of the monarch and appears to have
little power. In reality, it is the Prime Minister who runs the country. His official residence
is 10 Downing Street.

5. State schools:
State schools, or maintained schools, are maintained or supported by the government
through LEAs. State schools are non-fee-paying, funded from taxes and most are
organized by LEAs. State school children are also provided with books and equipment
without charge.
In England and Wales state schools are classified into three broad categories.
Community schools are mainly schools that were traditionally owned and funded by
LEAs. Foundation schools include many of former grant-maintained schools. Voluntary
schools are divided into controlled and aided, of which many are connected to a
particular religious faith. (tín ngữ tôn giáo đặc biệt)
In Scotland all state schools are directly managed by local authorities. However, there
are also eight grant-aided schools, seven of which are special educational needs schools.
In Northern Ireland, although all state schools are open to all religions, most Protestant
children attend controlled schools, managed by education and library boards, while most
Catholic children attend voluntary-maintained schools. There are three basic levels of the
state school system: nursery schools, primary schools, secondary schools.

6. SECONDARY SCHOOLS:
Secondary schools are for 11-16- or 18-year-old children. Today most pupils of state
secondary schools in Britain attend comprehensive schools. This type of secondary
school first appeared in England in 1965. It is a large school for pupils of all abilities
from a district. Comprehensive schools provide a general education with a wide range of
secondary education for children of all abilities. Beside academic courses, children also
do music, handicrafts and vocational courses.
Comprehensive schools are non-selective. When children finish primary school, they
go straight to comprehensive school without any examinations. However, some LEAs
nowadays still keep following the selective system of education. According to this
system, when children complete primary school, they take the Eleven-Plus Examination
to decide the appropriate type of secondary school they go to. The clever pupils who get
the best results at the Eleven-Plus will go to a grammar school. Grammar schools provide
academic courses and prepare pupils for higher education. The children who do not do
well at the Eleven Plus will go to a secondary modern school. Secondary modern schools
are for children of average or below average ability. Therefore, they provide a general
education and various skills as well as handicrafts.

7. MAGNA CARTA AND THE BEGINNING OF PARLIAMENT:

King John was known in the history as the worst king of England and for many years
the English, people suffered under his bad rule. He levied taxes without the barons'
approval and seized people's property without a judgment in the law courts. A group of
barons and churchmen opposed the tyrannical king. Headed by Stephen Langton, the
Archbishop of Canterbury, they drew up a document limiting the king's power. This
document is known as Magna Carta, or the Great Charter of English liberty. On June 15,
1215 the barons met King John at Runnymede. They forced him to accept Magna Carta
and to observe their right.
Magna Carta marked a turning point in the history of Britain. It placed the king under
the law and broke his absolute authority. The important principle is that the king must
govern the country according to the law. The king could not of Hare increase taxes
without agreement of the barons. He could not imprison people or confiscate their
property without a trial. A body of 24 barons was appointed to ensure the king kept his
promises and to prevent him from violating the Charter. Magna Carta began the age of
written, laws and the committee of 24 barons regarded as the beginning of Parliament in
Britain.

8. THE BLACK DEATH (1348-1349):

The Black Death was the name given to a terrible plague (a serious disease spread by
rats) that broke out in China and spread to Europe. People with the disease coughed up
blood and got large painful black spots on their bodies, and usually died. It is thought that
the Black Death killed about one third of the population of Europe. The deaths of many
people caused a labour shortage and also sped up the decline of the feudal system in
Britain.

9. THE PEASANTS' REVOLT (1381):

One cause of the revolt was the Statute of Labourers. The Black Death had made
labour scarce in England so peasants began to demand higher wages. Parliament passed
the Statute of Labourers in 1381 forbidding labourers to receive higher wages.
Another cause of the revolt was a poll tax. The king needed money to support the
Hundred Years' War so the government imposed heavy taxes in the English people.
Peasants objected to paying taxes. When tax collectors were sent out, thousands of

peasants led by Wat Tyler marched on London. Many manors were burnt, and many
landlords, tax officials and priests were killed. Richard II went to meet them. The king
promised to abolish serfdom and feudal service but he did not keep his promises. Tyler
was killed and the revolt was put down.
The revolt did not succeed, but the ruling class was badly frightened and the poll tax
was withdrawn. The feudal system gradually declined.

10. EDUCATION – OVERVIEW:

Education in the United States is provided by public and private schools. Public
education is universally available, with control and funding coming state, local, and
federal government. Public school curricula, funding, teaching, employment and other
policies are set through locally elected school boards with jurisdiction over school
districts. State government have control over educational standards and standardized tests
for public school systems. Private schools are generally free to determine their own
curriculum and staffing policies, with voluntary accreditation available through
independent regional accreditation authorities. 88% of school-age children attend public
schools, 9% attend private schools, and nearly 3% are homeschooled.
Education is compulsory over an age range beginning somewhere between ages five
to eight and ending somewhere between ages sixteen to eighteen, depending on the state.
This requirement can be satisfied by educating children in public schools, state-certified
private schools, or an approved home school program. In most schools, education is
divided into three levels elementary school, middle or junior high school, and high
school. Children are usually divided by age groups into grades, ranging from
kindergarten and first grade for the youngest children, up to twelfth grade as the final
year of high school.

11. Community college typically offers two-year associate's degrees, although

some community colleges offer a limited number of bachelor's degrees. Some
community college students choose to transfer to a four-year institution to pursue a
bachelor's degree. Community colleges are generally publicly funded and offer
career certifications and part-time programs.
12. Schooling is compulsory for all children in the United States, but the age
range for which school attendance is required varies from state to state. Most
children begin elementary education with kindergarten (usually five to six years
old) and finish secondary education with twelfth grade (usually eighteen years
old). In some cases, pupils may be promoted beyond the next regular grade. Some
states allow students to leave school between 14-17 with parental permission,
before finishing high school; other states require students to stay in school until
age 18
13. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT:
 The executive branch is headed by the President and is independent of the legislature.
Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of Congress, the Senate and the House of
Representatives. The judicial branch (or judiciary), composed of the Supreme Court and
lower federal courts, exercises judicial power (or judiciary). The judiciary's function is to
interpret the United States Constitution and federal laws and regulations. This includes
resolving disputes between the executive and legislative branches. The federal
government's layout is explained in the Constitution. Two political parties, the
Democratic Party and the Republican Party, have dominated American politics since the
American Civil War, although smaller parties like the Libertarian Party also exist and
achieve minor amounts of representation.

There are major differences between the political system of the United States and that
of most other developed democracies. These include greater power in the upper house of
the legislature, a wider scope of power held by the Supreme Court, the separation of
powers between the legislature and the executive, and the dominance of only two main
parties. Third parties have less political influence in the United States than in other
developed country democracies

14. THE CONSTITUTION:

The United States Constitution is the shortest written constitution in the world with just
seven articles and 27 amendments. As well as its brevity, the US Constitution is notable
for being a remarkably stable document. The first ten amendments were all carried in
1789 - the same year as the original constitution and are collectively known as the Bill of
Rights. If one accepts that these first 10 amendments were in effect part of the original
constitutional settlement, there have only been 17 amendments in over 200 years (the last
substantive one reduction of the voting age to 18 in 1971).

At the heart of the US Constitution is the principle known as 'separation of powers', a

term coined by the French political, enlightenment thinker Montesquieu. This means that
power is spread between three institutions of the state the executive, the legislature and
the judiciary - and no one institution has too much power and no individual can be a
member of more than one institution

15. THE PRESIDENCY:

The President is both the head of state and the head of government, as well as the
military commander-in-chief and chief diplomat. He presides over the executive branch
of the federal government, a vast organization numbering about 4 million people,
including 1 million active-duty military personnel. Within the executive branch, the
President has broad constitutional powers to manage national affairs and the workings of
the federal government and he may issue executive orders to affect internal policies.
The President may sign or veto legislation passed by Congress and has the power to
recommend measures to Congress. The Congress may override a presidential veto but
only by a two-thirds majority in each house.