What is a Constitution and why is it important?

The Importance of a Constitution

Constitutions are famed in the political world for being the key to safeguarding the rights and freedoms of the general populous. The most famous constitution is that of Americas, which includes some memorable amendments including: the right to keep and bear arms and the right to plead the fifth amendment (Right to say nothing when questioned). Every nation on the planet has a constitution of some kind, however each one is different in its own right, some are written, some are not and in certain cases the constitution is split amongst different documents. Many nations look to their constitutions in order to point out the limitations the government has, after all a constitution is set out to reveal how limited the governments power is over the people.

To begin with lets look at what a constitution actually is. In the simplest terms possible, a constitution is a set of rules that govern a country. These rules aim to: protect the peoples civil liberties, protect the people from the government and in turn these protect against an autocracy or dictator. A constitution also organises the distribution of power within a political system, for example in the UK this was achieved via 'devolution', this was where power had once been centralised in Westminster, however after much debate power was dispersed with Scotland getting its own Parliament, whilst Northern Ireland and Wales gained their own assemblies. The reason as to why various states adopt constitutions is simple 'We cannot trust the government, or anyone that has power over us'. If a nation lacked a constitution there would not be a barrier , meaning the government could do as it wished without limitation. For example people could be scrapped of their freedoms and rights.

The constitution is different to that of other countries for a variety of reasons. To begin with the basis of the UK's constitution comes from the Magna Carta which was created in 1215, this was created because the people , tired of paying excessive taxes, demanded that the King must abide by the laws of the land and people were given rights against the wishes of the King, therefore reducing the powers of the Monarchs. The Magna Carta is still of use today as certain clauses still remain in use. The UK's constitution is different in the sense that it is unwritten and not codified, this means the constitution is divided between various documents, treaties and  statutes. Its also not written down unlike the American constitution that was written down and signed in 1787, this constitution was written down in a single document and outlines the rights of the people in this way. The majority of nations have a codified constitution, these include the USA, Mongolia, France etc. Yet only 5 nations lack a codified constitution these are: the UK, Israel, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and Canada.  

Overall why is it important to have a constitution? Well constitutions are essential for any democracy for a wide array of reasons, as previously mentioned they can prevent the rise of autocratic leaders (dictators) by limiting the governments power and ensuring that the rights of the people are protected. As often seen through history, excessive power often leads to corruption, therefore its essential for a constitution to be put in place as it prevents serious corruption and mis-use of power, for example a government cannot just come into power and immediately abuse a minority without breaking the constitution. So it can be said, that in general a constitution is important for the people as it shields them from the powers of government.