5.2.2 The Will of the People

All political systems have some form of government, usually based on a constitution that outlines the distribution of power and grants certain rights to citizens. This ensures that the rule of law applies to every person in the country, regardless of position or power.

A constitution is a formal document written either when the country was formed, when it became a democracy, or at any later date in the history of the nation. These 'rule-books' are very difficult to change as they are meant to be the guiding direction of a country's beliefs, values and laws. Additionally, it prevents any one elected representative from radically changing the rules to suit their interests or ideology.

Some countries do not have formal constitutional documents, but they use customs (tradition) to determine how government should act. Such a constitution exists in Britain. Other countries rely on an entirely written set of rules to guide political decision-making, like in the United States. Canada has a blended constitution; some rules are not written down but followed from British tradition, while we also have the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Constitutions may or may not be followed in practice; however, most democratic systems have systems by which the government is made accountable to the underlying values and the specific goals and practices outlined in the constitution. How? The judicial branch is responsible for ensuring that the laws and actions of government do not overstep their boundaries as set out in the constitution. Ultimately, dividing power among different branches of government ensures that everyone is equally treated under the law.

Dictatorships centralize decision making power under one person or small group. Prior to the French Revolution in Europe, most countries were controlled by an absolute monarch who were largely supported by their aristocracy. As you learned in Unit Two, these traditional power structures began to shift during the 18th Century.

Enlightenment thinkers promoted classical liberal notions of individual reason and self-interest, spurred political revolutions in France and American during the late 18th Century. They adopted ideas from Baron de Montesquieu's beliefs that political power should be based on a separation of decision-making power. As a result, liberal democracies decentralize most governments into three different decision-making branches.

The Executive Branch includes the leader and a group of advisors. These can be elected, appointed, or a combination of both. In United States, the leader is elected and then he or she appoints advisors. In Canada, all these people are elected by some means. In Syria, the leader is a hereditary monarch, but the advisors are elected. In many systems, the executive branch is considered to have the most power.

The Legislative Branch is a more recently developed branch of government that tends to have growing power in most democracies. Its role varies depending on the constitution. In Canada, the legislative branch has a great deal of power because it alone has the ability to pass legislation. In some nations, the legislative branch provides only symbolic support for the executive branch.

The Judiciary interprets the constitution, settles disputes, and upholds the rule of law.