There were nine countries that made up the communist Soviet bloc in 1955. They were: the Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Albania. The Soviet regime tried to squash internal dissent in order to prevent western values and democracy from taking hold. These Eastern European countries were pressured with western values coming from one side, and communist pressure coming from the east.

**The United States** and **the Soviet Union** were two superpowers after World War II.

Both states were federations consisting of parts with their own administration. Also, both countries had a strong presidential figure who was elected. The legislatures in both countries are bicameral bodies, citizens were represented in one house, and the federal parts in the other.

The biggest difference in government organization is the relationship between the legislature and the executive. The president of the Soviet Union was a powerful figure who also controlled the legislature. Such a system led to the centralization of power. In the United States, the president is a powerful figure, but his power is limited and he does not control Congress.

While in the United States there are many political factors that influence public policy, such as interest groups and the media, in the Soviet Union only the voice of the party was heard.

The Soviet Union emerged after World War I, but became a superpower after World War II. It was a country firmly ruled by **the Communist Party**. The most important person in the country was the **General Secretary of the Communist Party**. He also governed **the Politburo** – the body that governed the party. This body was elected by **the Central Committee** – Communist Party officials.

The period from the end of World Word II to 1990 is known as **the Cold War** and marked the relations between the United States and the Communist Party.

There were no open armed conflicts between these two countries on their territories, but there were constant threats, espionage, arms races, etc.

The situation between the states began to relax in 1985 with the appearance of **Mikhail Gorbachev**. That year, he became the party’s secretary general. He initiated many reforms and constitution of new bodies.

The most significant reforms are economic and political, known as **perestroika**, as well as **glasnost** – reducing state repression, opening up to different expression and tolerance.

During Gorbachev, a new legislative body was created, which was elected 2/3 – **the Congress of People’s Deputies.**

Also, a new executive body was created, which replaced position of the general secretary of the party – **the office of the president of the Soviet Union.**

All these reforms and institutional changes led to a reduction in the power of the Communist Party and opened the door to the democratization of the state.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, **the Russian Federation** was formed. This also marked the end of the Cold War.

In 1991,**Boris Yeltsin** became president of the Russian Federation. The country was in turmoil, there were currents that were not satisfied with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the new state system.

Everything culminated in 1993 when Yeltsin, with the help of the army, dealt with his opponents. After that, a new constitution was passed according to which the president had significant and broad powers.

In the following years, an economic and then a political crisis followed, which included a corruption scandal of members from Yeltsin’s immediate entourage. This led to Yeltsin’s resignation in 1999.

The United States continues to work with authoritarian governments like China because of the economic opportunities available in such a partnership. China is one of the United State’s top trading partners even if the two countries are opposed on issues of human rights and foreign relations. Economic gains for Chinese citizens have not come with corresponding political gains.

The Magna Carta democratized the British Government because it placed limits on the . power of the king, enumerated rights held by the barons, and placed limits on taxation. The Magna Carta influenced the U.S Constitution by providing an example for a document which both placed limits on government and listed the rights of men. For example, this modern English translation of the Magna Carta sounds strikingly familiar to parts of the U.S Constitution, “ No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land” (Magna Carta translated by British Library) The Magna Carta is important because it outlined individual rights and placed limits on what was perceived as an oppressive king.

The most important governments in the world and those of the greatest importance to the United States are the governments of the following countries:

**1. United Kingdom**

**2. Russian Federation**

**3. The People’s Republic of China**

**The United Kingdom** has a special significance for the United States, because the United States originated from the former British colonies. Today, both countries are extremely important internationally.

The United Kingdom consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The state system is a unitary parliamentary democracy within which there are regions with significant autonomy – Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The most important body of this government is the parliament, which consists of The House of Commons and The House of Lords. The House of Commons is the bearer of power, its members are elected in elections, and the party that wins the majority manages the policy of the state in that mandate. The House of Lords is a body whose members are appointed and its functions are more formal and procedural. The leader of the party that wins the majority of votes in the elections for the House of Commons becomes the prime minister of the state. He elects members of his cabinet, ministers, from among his party. They manage various executive departments.

The monarchy once ruled the country, but its influence has diminished over the centuries, so today it has formal and ceremonial duties.

The court system in the UK consists of Supreme Courts deciding appeals and Crown & County Courts. This system is based on common law – there is no constitution and the legality of legal acts is judged on the basis of precedent. There are three separate court systems for criminal and civil cases (England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland).

**The Russian Federation** is another very important participant in the international field. This state originated from the former Soviet Union, which dominated the eastern sphere after the Second World War.

Given the communist system and values that were completely opposite to the values of the democratic United States, these two states were in great conflict from the end of World War II until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. This conflict was not realized by open armed conflicts on the territories of these two countries, but was accompanied by tensions, espionage, an arms race, threats, etc., and is known as the Cold War.

Today, the Russian Federation is a semi-presidential system. Citizens are inciting the president and members of the legislature – the Federal Assembly. There is a prime minister who runs the government and is appointed by the president. The country’s judicial system consists of the Constitutional Court and lower courts dealing with criminal and civil cases.

**The People’s Republic of China** is another key player in international politics. Although the Chinese government bears very little resemblance to the United States government, the two countries interact internationally in economics, and they are highly competitive. The United States often criticizes China’s treatment of human rights.

China is a communist country, with a one-party system. Country is completely ruled by the powerful Communist Party. Although it is a large country, with the largest population in the world, the government is unitary and centralized.

The highest organs of the party are the National Party Congress, the Central Committee, the Politburo, and the Secretariat, while the most important organs of the state are the National People’s Congress and the State Council.

The court system consists of “people ‘s courts” dealing with criminal and civil cases. The Supreme People’s Court is the supreme court that oversees the lower courts.

The Arab Spring was an democratic uprising that took hold in North Africa and the Middle East in 2010. The Arab Spring was set off by a Tunisian man’s self-immolation in response to police violence. In Egypt the protests ousted President Mubarek and The Muslim Brotherhood won power in both parliament and the presidency. The Muslim Brotherhood is an organization that turned itself into a political party following the Arab Spring. Although they came to power democratically in 2012, their abuses of power like press restrictions and changing the constitution, are quite different from democratic rule in the United States.

**The United States** and **the Russian Federation** are federal states, both cover a large territory and are very important factors in international politics.

The Russian Federation originated from **the Soviet Union**, which for the most part of the 20th century was sharply opposed to the United States.

While the United States is a democratic country that strives for decentralization and respect for human and civil rights, the Soviet Union was a communist state with a centralist and repressive system in which little attention was paid to the rights of individuals.

The Soviet Union was practically ruled by the Communist Party, which gathered and centralized all power. It was headed by the General Secretary of the Communist Party, who was also the most powerful political figure in the country. He chaired the Politburo – the body that governed the party.

After World War II, the Soviet Union became the most powerful state in the East. That is when the Cold War began, the period of difficult relations with the United States began, which is characterized by constant tensions, threats, the risk of overcoming an open conflict, an arms race, espionage, etc. The whole world was afraid of the escalation of the conflict because both countries had nuclear weapons.

However, given the poor economic situation caused by the communist rule of the country, the Soviet Union weakened and parts of it tried to gain independence.

Some reforms have begun at the domestic level, with the coming to power of Mikhail Gorbachev, who launched programs perestroika and glasnost. He also initiated the establishment of new institutions of government that will be separated from the party ones.

Finally, in 1991, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Soviet Union collapsed, marking the end of the Cold War.

The new state, the Russian Federation, was a more democratic country than the Soviet Union, but its organization is far from the democratic system that exists in the United States. Both countries have a bicameral legislature. Citizens are represented in one house, and federal parts of the country in the other.

The system in the United States is presidential, while in the Russian Federation it is semi-presidential, considering that there is also the function of the prime minister who manages the government, and is appointed by the president.

Although there is a principled division of power between the president, prime minister and legislature, real power is in the hands of the most powerful political figure, Vladimir Putin. He practically ruled the country when he was president and also when he was prime minister.

Russia has opened up to the west and cooperates much more internationally with other countries than during the Soviet era, but it cannot be considered a complete democracy that respects civil rights and freedoms and has fair and just elections.

The first steps towards the creation of a modern United States took place after 13 British colonies on American soil declared independence.

The settlers who made these colonies were of various nationalities, but the English predominated. The political system they were familiar with was the one that was developing in England, so they woven parts of it into the emerging political system of the United States.

In addition to customs, practices, institutions, ideas of constitutionalism, traditions, documents such as the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights, the formation of a new state was influenced by the idea of ​​**common law**.

Common law implies a practice in which legal decisions are made on the basis of similar decisions made in the past. It is an unwritten law that has developed over the decades and functions through the institute of precedent.

Common law originated in England, stemming from decisions made by royal judges based on local customs. The judges then continued to apply the judgments of previous judges in similar cases. In that way, once the verdict is passed, it becomes a precedent.

Common law is an important part of the American justice system. These laws apply whenever they do not conflict with written laws. Also, many laws are written on the basis of common law.

Common law places great importance on precedent as a guidance for judicial rulings. As Britain has no written constitution, common law and previous judicial rulings play an important role in their judicial system. Precedent plays an important role in the American judicial system as seen in the principle of stare decisis. One can see the influence of common law in the U.S court judicial system in the court’s reluctance to overturn earlier decisions. The occasions when the court has reversed course, like in Brown v. Board of Education, are typically landmark cases.

The United States is descended from 13 British colonies on American soil that declared their independence from Great Britain. Given the origins, it is clear that Great Britain had a great influence on the creation of the new state, although the modern governments of the United States and Great Britain are significantly differently organized.

The United States has a **presidential system**, while Great Britain is a **parliamentary monarchy**. While **the President** is a very powerful and key figure in government, in Britain the monarchy has only ceremonial powers, and **parliament** is a key institution of government.

In the United States, there is a clear **division of power** into legislative, executive and judicial, they are independent and interconnected by a system of checks and balances. In Britain, the judiciary is clearly separated, but the legislature and the executive are closely linked, as can be seen from the relationship between the parliament and **the prime minister.**

Like Congress, the British Parliament is a bicameral body. However, while the bicameralism of Congress stems from the federal arrangement of the country, so that in one house the citizens (**House of Representatives**) are represented, and in the other the State (**Senate**), the British Parliament has two houses because of tradition.

The key body is **the House of Commons**, it is elected and has legislative power, while **the House of Lords** is a body composed of appointed members who have less important functions.

In America, the Congress is in charge of the legislature, and the executive power is entrusted to the President, who is elected in separate elections. In Britain, there is no function of president, but of prime minister. The prime minister becomes the head of the party that won the majority in the parliamentary elections, and elects the members of his cabinet from among other members of parliament. In this way, in Britain, the executive comes from the legislature.

United States have **federal organization**, while Great Britain is a **unitary** state. **States** have their own constitutions, governments and courts because power is decentralized, while in Britain there is a central government which, in order to respect historical differences and meet demands, has given its regions a certain autonomy. These are **Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.**

Although both countries are based on the principles of **democracy, constitutionalism, common law, precedent, rule of law, recognition of civil rights**, there is one important difference – Great Britain does not have a constitution.

The judiciary relies on **common law**, prejudices are made on the basis of judgments in the same cases in the past. There is common law in the United States, but it applies unless it is in conflict with written law. However, many written laws are also written on the basis of common law.

There are many differences between the government structures of China and the United States. In China, all governmental power is held by the Communist Party. They have a single-party system in which there is no separation between the party and the government. The United States has a two party system in which candidates run against each other for elected office. There are no competitive elections between political parties in China.

Unlike the United States, the media is fully within the control of the ruling Communist Party in China. There is no free internet or discussion of opposing ideas within the media. All decisions are made by the Communist Party without debate or compromise with another political party. In the United States, there are multitudes of opinions and positions which are freely discussed online and in the media. The free exchange of ideas is preferred to state controlled media.

The monarchy in Great Britain serves in a primarily ceremonial role. One can view the modern American presidency as a combination of a prime minister and monarch, governmental and ceremonial. The monarch undertakes the ceremonial roles of the presidency while the prime ministers carries out the governmental role. One will find both the British monarch and the American President welcoming foreign heads of state as well as making trips abroad. The current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, technically opens parliament and appoints the prime minster. However in reality these are merely ceremonial duties and not represent any real power to dictate the actions of government.

Checks and balances within the Russian government are not always clear. The President is the head of state, nominates the Prime Minister, and exerts a large amount of control over government policy. Unlike the United States, power in the Russian government is centralized, there are far fewer separations or checks and balances.

In the United Kingdom’s parliamentary system, citizens vote for a political party rather than a single candidate. The party that wins a majority of seats in the House of Commons, or can piece together a coalition, selects a Prime Minister from within their ranks. This means that Parliament and the Prime Minister combine the legislative and executives branches. There may be advantages in terms of cooperation between the Prime Minister and Parliament, but the system lacks the checks and balances which divide power in the American system.

The United Kingdom additionally operates a unitary form a government in which all sovereignty rests with Parliament instead of local government like in the American federal system. However, since the 1990’s there has been a move toward devolution, or the moving of power away from the national and to the regional governments.

The government of a country has the power to create public policy, make decisions and implement them. Her success depends on her skill in performing these duties.

The most desirable form of government for citizens is democracy. Within a democracy, citizens elect their government in fair elections and give it a mandate to run the country.

In undemocratic arrangements, the government is either hereditary or its choice is influenced by a very small number of powerful people, and ordinary citizens have no influence on the choice of those who govern them. Such governments are usually unsuccessful because they serve a small number of elected people.

One of the things that distinguishes a good government is its organization itself. Capable governments have a well-organized state administration. Given that the work of the bureaucracy is financed from the budget, and that the budget is filled mainly by taxes paid by citizens, it is very important to them that it be efficient. Citizens often meet with the state administration, so their satisfaction with its work speaks of the success of the government.

The next area in which we can monitor the success of the government is the fulfillment of goals. At the beginning of its mandate, each government sets economic and political goals, internally and internationally. During her tenure, she makes various decisions and takes actions to fulfill them.

The most important economic issues for citizens are those that directly affect their lives: can they get a job, is the job well paid and secure, what is their purchasing power, can they meet their needs with their income, etc.

In addition to the goals set by the government in its mandate, there are also some standard areas in which its successful management is expected, such as e.g. social issues, security, education, infrastructure, environmental protection, etc.

Governments may have more or less social orientation, or they may be more or less interested in the green agenda, but certain basic things such as clean air, schooling of children, medical care, property protection, functioning of public transport, social assistance for the vulnerable, etc. are from of exceptional importance to citizens in all countries of the world. The success of the government can be very clearly measured on the basis of the results it has achieved in these areas.

The success of a government can also be measured by the country’s position at the international level. Governments should strive to involve their countries in important political organizations so that they can participate in international decision-making because they can significantly affect the lives of its citizens.
Also, one country can strengthen its economic situation by cooperating with other countries and joining international economic organizations.