Levels of Government in the United States of America.

Introduction

Politics of the United States of America takes place in a framework of a federal presidential representative democratic republic. The President of the United States is both head of state and head of government, and of a two-party legislative and electoral system.

Executive power is exercised by the government, which is headed by the President and independent of the legislature. Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Judicial power is excercised by the judicial branch (or judiciary), comprised of the United States Supreme Court and lower federal courts. The function of the judiciary is to interpret the United States Constitution as well as the federal laws and regulations. This includes resolving disputes between the executive and legislative branches. The federal government of the United States was established by the United States Constitution. American politics has been dominated by two major parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, ever since the American Civil War. There have also always existed other minor parties of minor political significance.

Major differences between the political system of the United States and that of most other developed democracies are the power of the U.S. Senate as the upper house of the legislature, the wide scope of power of the U.S. Supreme Court, the separation of power between the legislature and the executive government, and the dominance of the two main parties (the United States is the only developed democracy without a major third party).

Types of the u.S. Governments Federal, state and local governments

The federal entity created by the Constitution is the dominant feature of the American governmental system. However, every person outside the capital is subject to at least three governing bodies: the federal government, a state, and/or a local government, usually a county [округ]. Within a city they are also subject to the local government and possibly a district. Each level has its own political system.

This complexity of jurisdictions reflects the country's history. The federal government was created by former colonies that had been established separately and had governed themselves independently of the others. Within these colonies were counties and towns with varying levels of development and therefore different administrative needs. Rather than replacing the states' legal systems with a single government, the Constitutional Convention [Конституционный Конвент - Состоялся 25 мая - 17 сентября 1787 в Филадельфии при участии 55 делегатов из 12 штатов (без участия представителей Род-Айленда); выработал Конституцию США. Конвент был созван с целью пересмотра "Статей Конфедерации" [Articles of Confederation], но под председательством Дж. Вашингтона разработал совершенно иные принципы государственности.] chose to keep the states largely self-governing. As the country expanded, it admitted new states modeled on the existing ones.

State government

Before their independence, colonies governed themselves separately under the authority of the British Crown. In the early years of the republic, prior to the adoption of the Constitution, each state was virtually an autonomous unit. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention sought a stronger, more viable federal union, but they could not ignore state traditions, nor the interests of state politicians.

In general, matters that lie entirely within state borders are the exclusive concern of state governments. These include internal communications [внутренние контакты]; regulations relating to property, industry, business, and public utilities [коммунальные услуги]; the state criminal code [уголовный кодекс]; and working conditions [условия труда] within the state. Within this context, the federal government requires that state governments must be republican in form and that they adopt no laws that contradict or violate the federal Constitution or the laws and treaties of the United States.

There are, of course, many areas of overlap [наложение, совпадение, перекрытие] between state and federal jurisdictions.

Like the national government, state governments have three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial; these are roughly equivalent in function and scope to their national counterparts. The chief executive of a state is the governor, elected by popular vote [голоса избирателей], typically for a four-year term (although in a few states the term is two years). Except for Nebraska [nI'brxskq], which has one legislative body, all states have a two-chamber [двухпалатный] legislature, with the upper house usually called the Senate and the lower house called the House of Representatives, the House of Delegates [Палата делегатов], or the General Assembly [Генеральная ассамблея].

In addition to the previous usage, some states refer to the entire state legislature as the "General Assembly", with two houses within it. In most states, senators serve four-year terms, and members of the lower house serve two-year terms.

The constitutions of the various states differ in some details but generally follow a pattern similar to that of the federal Constitution, including a statement of the rights of the people and a plan for organizing the government. On such matters as the operation of businesses, banks, public utilities, and charitable institutions, state constitutions are often more detailed and explicit [ясный, подробный] than the federal one. Each state constitution, however, provides that the final authority belongs to the people, and sets certain standards and principles as the foundation of government.