Comparative US/UK Constitutions: Federal and Unitary Government
Comparing the US and UK constitutions means comparing a federal, codified and entrenched constitution against a unitary-in-principle, uncodified and flexible one.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Before writing anything, identify the specific comparative point being tested (e.g. codification, entrenchment, federal versus unitary structure, rights protection) and plan one paragraph per point, not one paragraph for the USA followed by a separate paragraph for the UK.
- In every paragraph, state a specific similarity or difference, support it with one precise fact from each country, and then explicitly apply one of the three named comparative theories, structural, rational or cultural, to explain why that difference exists, naming the theory in the sentence.
- Learn the structural explanation for the core difference: the US Constitution was created through a deliberate founding convention needing to bind thirteen separate former colonies together, producing a codified, federal settlement with an entrenched amendment process (Article V), while the UK's constitution evolved gradually with no equivalent founding moment, so it remained uncodified and changeable by ordinary Act of Parliament.
- Learn the rational explanation as an alternative: the framers of the US Constitution had a direct interest in constraining a powerful central government, having just broken from a monarchy, so they built in checks that protected their own political and economic interests; UK political actors, by contrast, had an interest in preserving the flexibility that let a sitting parliamentary majority govern without external constraint.
- Learn the cultural explanation as a further alternative: American political culture is often characterised by a foundational suspicion of concentrated, unchecked power and a strong rights-consciousness, reflected in an entrenched Bill of Rights, while British political culture has historically emphasised evolutionary continuity, deference to convention and trust in Parliament, reflected in the absence of a codified document.
- Never write a 'block' answer that fully covers the USA then fully covers the UK; a mark scheme for a comparative question specifically rewards paragraphs that hold both countries together and rewards explicit, named use of a comparative theory.
Worked example
Using the structural approach, explain one similarity and one difference between the US and UK constitutions.
- State the structural approach first: it explains political outcomes by reference to a country's formal institutional and constitutional arrangements, treating those structures, not individual choices or cultural values, as the main cause of behaviour.
- Identify a similarity to explain structurally: both constitutions place some check on the government of the day, the US through the separation of powers and Article V entrenchment, the UK through practices such as the House of Lords' revising role and the courts' power of judicial review under the Human Rights Act, even though the UK's checks are ultimately reversible by Parliament.
- Apply the structural theory to the similarity: in both cases, it is the existence of a distinct institution or process, not the personal views of any individual, that structurally slows or checks the government, which is exactly the kind of explanation the structural approach makes.
- Identify a difference to explain structurally: the US Constitution is codified and requires the Article V supermajority process to amend, while the UK constitution is uncodified and can, in principle, be changed by a simple Act of Parliament.
- Apply the structural theory to the difference: this gap exists because the US constitutional structure was built around a rigid, federal, entrenched settlement from its founding, while the UK's structure developed around the single principle of parliamentary sovereignty, so the two systems each produce the level of rigidity their founding institutional design dictates, which is a structural, not a cultural or individual-choice, explanation.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Q1Name the three comparative theories used to explain differences between US and UK politics.Show answer
Answer: The structural (institutional), rational and cultural approaches.
Q2What does the structural approach say causes political differences between countries?Show answer
Answer: The formal institutions and constitutional arrangements of each country, which shape and constrain the behaviour of political actors.
Q3What does the cultural approach say causes political differences between countries?Show answer
Answer: Each country's distinct shared political history, ideas and values, transmitted over time, which shape both behaviour and the institutions built around it.
Q4Is the US constitution federal or unitary, and is the UK constitution federal or unitary?Show answer
Answer: The US constitution is federal; the UK constitution is unitary in principle, though devolution has given it some federal-like features.
Q5What does 'entrenched' mean when describing a constitution?Show answer
Answer: That it is protected from change by ordinary legislation and can only be amended through a special, more difficult process.
Q6Give one reason, using the rational approach, that the framers of the US Constitution built in strong checks on central government.Show answer
Answer: Having just broken away from a monarchy, the framers had a direct interest in protecting their own political and economic interests from a powerful, unchecked central government, so they rationally designed checks to constrain it.
Q7Can the UK constitution be changed by a simple Act of Parliament?Show answer
Answer: Yes, in principle, since there is no codified document requiring a supermajority or special procedure, though major constitutional changes are often preceded by convention, consultation or referendum.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a A Level Politics exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Using the structural approach, explain one similarity and one difference between the US and UK constitutions.
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'The US Constitution provides stronger protection for individual rights than the UK constitution.' Evaluate this view, applying the comparative theories in your answer.
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See real A Level Politics past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
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