Unitary System

The concept of a bicameral legislature has its foundations as early as Ancient Greece and Rome. Though a more modern application of bicameral legislature is most evident in medieval Europe, when two houses composed of the aristocrats and the commoners was developed for representation of the estates within a realm. The essential purpose of a bicameral legislature was to provide for representation of both the people or citizens of a nation and the collective states or provinces in the government system.

The representation of both factions in one body of legislature is to provide for a method of passing legislation or laws by requiring a majority for approval. This concurrent majority provides for the ability of passing or approving legislature that is not one-sided, or favoring a particular faction in a distinct fashion. The United States bicameral legislature, or Congress, is often cited as a prime example for bicameralism. However, there are different types of bicameral legislature employed by different governments throughout the world.

The Federal bicameral system is the one that is most commonly associated with the integral concept of bicameral legislation. The United States, Mexico, Australia, Canada, Germany, and the European Union all employ a bicameral system. However, the method or structure in which it is put into effect varies from country to country.

A version of bicameral legislature that is considered as the classical structure is one that consists of having two Houses in which the democratic process and the federalism principle are combined in the sense of representation. The Lower House is comprised by members based upon population numbers of each State or province, which are elected by the citizens of each State. The Upper House is comprised of an equal number of representatives from each State and are chosen by State legislatures.

The United States Congress, as well as Mexico and Australia, employ this particular bicameral system. However, the United States proves to be a unique example for it was in 1913 that the 17th Amendment was approved in which Senators would now be elected by popular vote rather than State legislature appointments.

Another form of bicameral legislature is the Aristocratic system. This system is usually derived from governmental precedence existing in previous provisions. The most notable example is the British House of Lords. The House of Lords is represented by a number of individuals who assume their position due to inheritance of nobility titles. The House of Commons, the second faction in the bicameral system, is one that is subject to election to fill the positions. However, the positions held through inheritance have been limited to 92 from 700 due to recent enacted legislation.

The Unitary system of bicameral legislature has no ties to either a federal government or to aristocratic positions. A unitary state is one that is governed through sovereignty, in which the federal or central government can only exercise certain powers over them. A bicameral system in unitary states, such as Japan, Italy, France, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands, has different functions than those created under a federal bicameral legislature. One example could include where the Upper House only has the power or authority or litigating and vetoing decisions rendered by the Lower House.

Regarding the various types of bicameral legislature, the United States Congress proves to be one of a kind, in which the strict dichotomy is enforced between a democratic ideal and the Federal institution of government. Even though the Senate is now elected by a popular vote, Congress still maintains a balance between both factions.