Laws and Legal Systems around the World
The two most common types of legal systems in the world today are Civil Law and Common Law. Civil Law describes the system where a clear set of laws has been written and must be followed. There is usually a legislative group that makes the laws and decides if any need to be changed or amended. Civil law has its origins in the systems developed … Keep Reading → during the Roman Empire. Because all of the laws in Civil law are based on the philosophy of the leadership, it can and has been the basis of authoritarian governments such as China and the Soviet Union. Common Law is very different from Civil Law. In Common Law systems a set of rules is constantly being evaluated and decided by a judicial branch. This is the system of the United States and it allows for the “checks and balances” that helps to keep the legislative branch from ruling with an iron hand. A less common legal system is the Religion based system that can be found in some Middle Eastern nations.
