Parliamentary Approval Quotes

1st Earl of Oxford. Technically the title of Prime Minister was then non-existent, but he performed the function. Unlike America where the Chief Executive is elected for fixed 4 year terms, in England and other parliamentary democracies, if the Prime Minister cannot command a majority of the Praliament, he has to call new elections. Even if he cannot maintain the majority of his own party, he can be replaced by a simple vote of the members of the parliament of his own party. Margaret Thatcher for example, was never defeated at the polls in an election. She was thrown out of office by her own party.

The Czar, a total autocrat, was out of touch with most of the civilized world. Under much pressure from his advisors who realized that there was much unhappiness with an autocracy, the Czar made this reform which seemed a major concession and was very much welcomed by the people. However, it had relatively little practical effect. The Duma could not make laws, they could only ratify those made by the Czar and his ministers. However, few members of the Duma were willing to vote against a measure that the Czar wanted. It had no practical effect on improving the standard of living and the economic development of a backward empire.