Research Paper Sample on U.S, French and Russian Governments

Introduction

Elections are another demonstration of a free will citizen nation. Democracy gets best practiced through practices that lead to fair decisions such as elections. In elections, citizens choose their preferred contestants, and a final decision gets made after statistical calculations of the votes cast (Strokanov 107). Therefore, a government is put in place by the citizens, and they are mandated, according to the constitution, to perform specific tasks as assigned through the government offices they hold. Therefore, a state's constitution controls and governs the nation's processes. All governments are required to adapt their functions by the dominant form. Constitutionally, governments serve for specific terms, after which new elections get democratically held for fair distribution and execution of power in service to the citizens. All government forms come through with their organizational structures to effectively submit the mandated service to the citizens.

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On the other hand, the citizens must observe and respect the constitution for a fluent flow of service from the governing government. Mostly the government consists of arms like the judiciary, executive, and legislature as structures of governing. The court charges citizens or government officers who fail to abide by the legislative arm's constitution.

Comparison

The French, Russian, and U.S. government structure comprises three government arms, including the executive, judicial, and legislative branches. Also, the three governments are led by the president (Biase 116). The French government is considered a democracy whereby the government is elected by the people and relies mainly on its rule. The U.S. government is termed as a republic whereby the supreme power rests in the citizens who have a right to vote. The election of this body of citizens is conducted by representatives who the citizens elect directly or indirectly. The Russian government is termed as a federal type of government. The country’s president is voted in directly through a majority vote to serve a term of six years. Also, the similarities in these three governments lie in the limits that the law places on government. These limits usually have implications on the rights of the minority.

All these governments adopt a representative system where citizens can vote in politicians as representatives of their interests and eventually form the government. France has adapted to a two-round voting system whereby voters can cast a single vote for the candidate of their choosing. But, if candidates fail to garner the required amount of options, the candidates who will have acquired less the necessary number of votes are eliminated. The second round of voting occurs. In the U.S., the Electoral College is the institution in charge of conducting official elections of both the president and his vice after every four years. Hence, voters do not participate in direct presidential election and his vice. Instead, they are selected by a chosen body of citizens chosen by the popular vote of states. Like France, the Russian law requires that the presidential election winner garner over 50 percent of the cast votes (Shiraev 97). If a candidate fails to receive above the average percentage number of options, the top two candidates must face each other in another round of elections.

Paying taxes is compulsory in all three governments. In France, the government levies taxes that are collected by French public administrations. These administrations constitute the central government, local governments, and the social security association. All residents of France are liable to French taxation on their worldwide income. However, France's taxation system is exceptionally modest in the levels of taxes it imposes on ex-pats on retirement age. The non-residents of France must submit an annual income tax if they receive rental income from leasing property. The U.S. government collects taxes within its borders to pay for everything it does. The government takes a portion of the revenue that American receives as tax. Russia also has a tax code that serves as the primary tax law for the federation. Income tax in Russia is termed as federal tax, which is also controlled by the regional legal frameworks.

Contrast

In the U.S., the three arms of government work in collaboration to set the country's laws. The senate, the Congress, and the House of Representatives fall under the government legislative arm, making laws (Strokanov 107). Each component of the government can change the acts that another arm has enforced. For instance, the president can change the laws enforced by Congress. Likewise, Congress can reject or approve the appointments the president makes. Unlike the U.S., in France, the president plays a direct role in enacting foreign policy. The prime minister in charge of appointing the government, guiding government policy, and is, therefore, a significant influence on political reform. In Russia, the prime minister exercises executive power and is appointed by the head of state with the parliament's approval.

In Russia, the president carries the power to dismiss the government (McFaul, Sestanovich, and Mearsheimer 169). On the other hand, the U.S., the constitution grants the president the ability to sign or change an act, issue command to the armed forces, convene and adjourn Congress, and receive ambassadors, among others (Clinton et al. 341). In France, the president can exercise the power to disband the National Assembly. Furthermore, the National Assembly can dismiss the Prime minister.

Laws of the French regime, like in other democratic governments, are proposed by the existing government (Metcalf 125). The National Assembly must pass these laws through the two houses of the National Assembly National and the Senate. In the U.S., a bill is given by the House of Representatives and Senate. Later passed to the president for consent. In Russia, laws have to pass through the Federal Assembly before they become law. However, all bills, including those proposed by the Federation Council, have to be signed by the State Duma (Strokanov 107). Additionally, the Federation Council cannot make any changes to a bill once consented by the Duma.

Unlike Russia and France, the U.S. government has a set of powers that meet with the minarchist set of controls. It means that the government exercises some powers a libertarian state would not, and, on the other hand, lacks some powers a libertarian state would exercise (Narveson 3). The balance in the set of powers between the government and the country is because of the federal government's original charter's unique and limited nature. In Russia, the president ensures that the three government arms implement their constitutional duties within their powers' limits. This active coordinating role exercised by the president is realized in the system of checks and balances (Metcalf 125). The system ensures that equal power is shared among the federal government bodies and the Russian governmental bodies' relations and constituent territories.

Law

Furthermore, the law officially distances the Russian president from the arms of power. Hence, the president plays the role of drafting and issuing a legal policy. He also exercises his leadership duties and ensures that people abide by the constitution (Metcalf 125). In France, the Prime minister leads the executive branch of the government and, therefore, the government's lead. The prime minister is tasked with executing executive powers (Knapp and Wright n.p). Also, the senate has greater authority than the president and, at times, greater authority than the House of Representatives.

The best government among the three is that of the U.S. A democratic form of government is considered the best because; the people directly elect their president. A democratic type of government encourages equality for the minorities who would otherwise be denied the right to vote for the laws and people they place their belief in (Moe and Caldwell 172). When the marginalized groups are given the opportunity to exercise their voting rights, they are most probably to elect candidates who will strive to stop oppressive policies that prevail in other parts of the world. A democratic regime also allows all groups to engage in politics, irrespective of their gender, race, class, identity, or sexual orientation.

A democratic government is the best because it has an entirely flexible system that enables the government to become accustomed to varying ideologies. And since the elected officials have an objective of maintaining their positions of power, they strive to appeal to the public's opinions to stay popular. A democratic government allows for the crucial scrutiny of people in control because they are likely to be voted out office for any misconduct or abuse of power. Moreover, a democratic government is a solution to intra and interstate conflict. Such a government is less likely to engage in civil war or take part in other nations Moe and Caldwell 175). A democratic government avoids conflict at all costs because of its unpopular nature and its ability to cost people's innocent lives.

Furthermore, the democratic government serves as a safety valve for human discontent. Therefore, there is less possibility of a civil war to erupt. Citizens of a democratic government can easily exercise their political powers through voting or free speech, unlike in other governments where citizens lack such capabilities and are likely to engage in violence when they hope for a government change.

Conclusion

Elections is another demonstration of a free will citizen nation. Democracy is best practiced through practices that lead into fair decisions such as elections. In elections, citizens choose their preferred contestant and a final decision is made after statistical calculations of the votes casted (Strokanov 107). A government is therefore put in place by the citizens and they are mandated, according to the constitution, to perform specific tasks as assigned through the governmental offices they hold.

Therefore, a state’s constitution controls and governs the nation’s processes. All governments are required to adapt its functions in accordance to the prevailing constitution. Constitutionally, governments serve for specific terms after which new elections are democratically held for fair distribution and execution of power in service to the citizens. All forms of government come through with their own managerial structures to effectively submit the mandated service to the citizens. The citizens on the other hand, are mandated to observe and respect the constitution for a fluent flow of service from the governing government. Mostly the government consists of arms like the judiciary, executive and legislature as structures of governing. Citizens or governmental officers who fail to abide by the constitution made by the legislative arm are charged by the judiciary.

Works Cited

Biase, Anita. Your U.s. Citizenship Guide: What You Need to Know to Pass Your U.s. Citizenship Test, with Companion Cd-Rom. Ocala, Fla: Atlantic Pub. Group, 2009. Print.

Clinton, Joshua D., et al. "Separated powers in the United States: The ideology of agencies, presidents, and congress." American Journal of Political Science 56.2 (2012): 341-354.

Knapp, Andrew, and Vincent Wright. The government and politics of France. Routledge, 2006.

McFaul, Michael, Stephen Sestanovich, and John J. Mearsheimer. "Faulty Powers: Who Started the Ukraine Crisis?." Foreign Affairs 93.6 (2014): 167-178.

Metcalf, Lee Kendall. "Presidential Power in the Russian Constitution." J. Transnat'l L. & Pol'y 6 (1996): 125.