ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how a British-style parliamentary system might have changed the course of American politics. It discusses a different approach, and how politics and policy-outcomes could be different if American government functioned under a British-style parliamentary system, in which there are no checks and balances. Political institutional arrangements do not control or determine all aspects of a national political life. However, under the terms of the Westminster compromise, one can assume that there would have been some modifications to the pattern of political development in the United States. Political culture is characterized by the combination of beliefs, attitudes, expectations, feelings, and values held by a society concerning politics and government. In 1980 Ronald Reagan defeated the incumbent Jimmy Carter on a campaign that promised to return America to greatness by building up its defenses, cutting taxes and the bureaucracy, and balancing the budget.
