- •1) Describe the geographical position of the British Isles offering an explanation for its advantages and disadvantages. Define the term “continental shelf”, its importance for the economy.
- •3)Examine the main stages in the formation of the population of Great Britain (Ancient Britain, The Celts, Romans, Anglo-Saxons) their contribution.
- •4)Describe the Danish raids on England. The struggle of Alfred the Great and its results. Scandinavian borrowings in England.
- •6)Give the main characteristics of the modern population of Great Britain (size, destiny) Immigration and its effects: the visible minority and it’s role.
- •7) Analyse some national traits of the British people and character. How did geography and history affect the British character? How different are they from other nations?
- •8) Describe Great Britain as a constitutional monarchy, its role and social influence.
- •9)Describe the structure and composition of the British Parliament. The House of Lords, main functions and recent changes. The House of Commons: fuctions and role. Devolution.
- •10)Discuss the Electoral system. The majority electoral system and its peculiarities.
- •11)The composition of the Britih Government. The role of the British Prime Minister and the Cabinet. Explain the term “Shadow Cabinet” and its significance.
- •12) Expand on the formation, development and role of the Commonwealth of Nations in the contemporary world and of Britain’s contributions to this organization.
- •13)Discuss the British in their private life, their love of gardens. Leisure and sports in their lives.
- •14)The conflict in Nothern Ireland, its solution.
- •Riots of August 1969
- •Violence peaks and Stormont collapses
- •Sunningdale Agreement and uwc strike
- •[Edit]Late 1970s
- •[Edit]Hunger strikes and the emergence of Sinn Féin
- •Paramilitary ceasefires and peace process
- •First ceasefire
- •Second ceasefire
- •15)Give a general assessment of the role of Britain in the present world. The main issues of the home and foreign policy of the present government.
- •16)Сharacterize the major political parties in the uk (Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrats and other)
- •17) The role of the church in Britain today. The established churches in the country. Decline of church attendance, reasons.
- •1)Give an account of the geographical position of the United States, its advantages and disadvantages. The size of the country, its composition.
- •Intermontane Plateaus and Basins
- •2)Outline the physical features of the us. The chief mountain ranges and plains the main rivers and lakes. The climatic regions. The main mineral resources and their role.
- •Illegal Immigration
- •6) Discuss the reasons, development and consequences of the War of Independence (1775-1783).
- •7) Expand on the basic values of the American nation. Explain their importance. The "frontier heritage*, the heroes. What is political correctness? Refer to examples in language.
- •9) The prelude, chief events of the Civil War (1861-1865) and its major consequences.
- •10) The development of the usa after the Civil War. The Monroe doctrine. American expansionism at the end of the 19th century.
- •11) Describe how and when the American Constitution was adopted. The structure of the Constitution and its principles. The Bill of Rights and its role.
- •12) The role and the structure of the Congress - the supreme legislative body. Its main functions (the Senate, the House of Representatives).
- •13) Examine the institution of the American presidency, its power and functions. Give a motivated criticism of the home and foreign policy of the present administration.
- •14) Describe the process of presidential elections, their indirect character. What is meant by an "electoral college". Comment on the results of the presidential elections of the year 2008.
- •15) Explain what is meant by a "strict division and separation of powers" between the Congress, the President, the Supreme Court and the system of checks and balances under the Constitution,
- •16) Characterize the main political parties in the usa (the Republicans, the Democrats history, political platform and role today).
- •17) Describe the national Symbols of the usa: the flag, the Great Seal, the National Anthem and the 10 federal holidays.
- •Independence Day
- •Veterans' Day
- •Valentine's Day
14) Describe the process of presidential elections, their indirect character. What is meant by an "electoral college". Comment on the results of the presidential elections of the year 2008.
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The presidential election is technically an election of presidential electors, not of a President directly. The people of each state do not vote directly for the President. They elect as many electors as this state has Senators and Representatives in the Congress. These electors are selected exclusively by the corresponding party machines. The candidate with the highest number of votes in each state wins all the electoral votes of the state. The electors of all 50 states and the District of Columbia (3 electors) — a total of 538 persons — compose what is known as the Electoral College. The electors gather in the state capitals shortly after the election and cast their votes for the candidate with the largest number of popular votes in their respective states. To be elected President, a candidate for the Presidency must receive 270 votes. The presidential elections of 2000 revealed the inadequacy of the existing system. The Constitution provides, that if no candidate has a majority, the decision should be made by the House of Representatives, with all members from a state voting as a unit. In this case, each state and the District of Columbia would be given one vote only. Candidates for the Presidency are chosen by political parties several months before the presidential election, which is held every four years (every leap year) on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The presidential term of four years begins on January 20 (the next year). He starts his official duties with an inauguration ceremony, traditionally held on the steps of the Capitol, where Congress works. The newly-elected President publicly takes an oath of office, which is traditionally administered by the Chief Justice of the United States. The words of the oath are provided by the Constitution: "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States". The president's election process in the United States is through indirect elections where the voters actually vote for electors of the Electoral College, and the electors are the ones then who elect the President and his Vice President. |
The elections for the president and vice president occur every 4 years in the US on Election Day, which the Tuesday that comes between November 2 and November 8. In 2008, Election Day was on November 4, and the next Election Day is on November 6, 2012.
President's election process is governed by state and federal laws. Each state in the US has a specific number of Electoral College electors. This number is equal to the number of Senators and Representatives in a state. Washington DC is the only exception where the number of electors is equal to the number of electors that are present in the smallest states. The US Territories do not have Electoral College.
As per the US Constitution, each state is allowed to have its own method of choosing electors. Therefore, on Election Day, the states conduct the election and not the federal government. Once the electors are elected, they have the right vote for anyone, but under normal circumstances, the electors vote for the chosen presidential candidate. The Congress then certifies the vote of the electors in the beginning of January. The Congress is the final judge of the electors.
The primary elections and the nominating convention that parties have are not mentioned in the US Constitution. However, these processes were developed by the states and the political parties.
In the US, president's nominating procedure is held in two parts. The first part is a number of primary elections and caucuses which are held in each state, and the second part is the nominating convention that is held by each political party. This is the process that different political parties take to weed out potential wannabes and is not mentioned in the US Constitution.
The primary elections and the caucuses are held by the state and local governments. Some states hold just the primary elections, some hold just the caucuses, while others hold both. The primary elections and the caucuses are held between January and June before the Election Day. The first state caucus is held in Iowa and the first primary election is held in New Hampshire.
When voters vote in the primary elections and caucuses, they are actually giving the right to the selected elector to vote for the candidate nominated at the presidential nominating convention.
The Democratic Party and Republican Party also have top officials and party leaders who are the undecided electors. These are known as unpledged delegates who vote for anyone they want. In other words, these are the delegates who will vote for a presidential candidate they like and want.
As mentioned earlier, the electors for the Electoral College are shown by the laws of each state. Therefore, each state also holds its own popular election on the Election Day. Therefore, it can be said that the president's election process in the United States is a combination of separate and concurrent state elections instead of a single election held all over the country.