How did governments develop the idea of Prime Minister Evolve

The idea of Prime Minister, a common post that leads the government in many countries, developed from concepts that evolved from the Middle Age that, over time, became a commonly elected position in many democracies today. How one attained this post has evolved, including who got to chose the person, but today many countries see the post of prime minister as symbolic of a strong democracy that enables wide and equal democratic participation.

Early History

The position of Prime Minister developed from the English Medieval idea of having a leading minister. or effectively and adviser, to the king. For instance, during the reign of Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell was the king's chief minister who led council meetings and often had the most influence on the king. In fact, it was Thomas Cromwell who help devise and implement the English Reformation, which saw England leave the Catholic church during during 1532-1534 and form the Church of England. There often was no position called "Chief Minister" or "Prime Minister." However, many people in government often held various posts for different kings, including Robert Cecil, that regardless of their position they often had the role of chief adviser to the king or queen. Effectively, the post of a chief minister became a type of informal designation, with this tradition continuing into the the 17th century.

During the English Civil War, from 1642-1651, Parliament became not only powerful but overthrew the monarch with the establishment of the post Lord Protector under Oliver Cromwell. Although the post of "Lord Protector" did not last after Cromwell, with the king (Charles II) invited back to govern, English and subsequently British and global history changed. Now, Parliament with much greater authority and having the ability to control the fate of the king, began to formalize a new position that enabled someone beside the king to lead the government. The Glorious Revolution in 1688 overthrew the king once more (James II), which effectively gave Parliament more power. This was followed up with the Bill of Rights in 1689 Act. This formalized the House of Commons as being part of the government and able to control taxes and establish new laws. This drastically reduced the power of the king but it required someone else to lead government. Although elections were held, no post was created to enable the winning party to claim the role of 'Prime Minister.' Under George I, who came to the throne in 1714, it became more apparent that a chief, leading minister acting to lead the government was needed. George did not speak English and was also the King of Hanover. This meant he was often detached from British affairs, leaving government to his chief adviser. The main minister in his government was Robert Walpole, who soon began to effectively lead and become the first de facto Prime Minister. Although he was not elected through his party winning the House of Commons, it set the precedent that a chief adviser should also formally lead government. William Pitt the Younger (1783–1801), who was the chief adviser to George III (1760-180), began to consolidate more power as it became increasingly clear that George III had increasing mental health problems that led him to be ineffective. This was crucial for Britain during this time, particular as numerous crises began to emerge, including the threat of invasion from Napoleon. The formal title of "Prime Minister" only appeared during the tenure of Benjamin Disraeli (1874-1880), with the post finally given official title in 1905.

Later Developments

In the 1830s, it became precedent that the Sovereign would select the Prime Minister, which is still the case technically, although the precedent is that the election would reflect which party should lead the government and the Sovereign formally allowing this result. Before 1902, the Prime Minister could derive from the House of Lords, which often had final authority on law. However, in 1911, the House of Lords became marginalised, with the House of Commons gaining extra power. During the 19th century, British power was emulated by many countries, which began the practice of many countries in Europe and elsewhere by the 20th century creating the post of "Prime Minister." Meanwhile, the post of Prime Minister in the UK continued to evolve. Women soon gained the right to vote in 1918 and 1928; the House of Commons continued to gain power during this time. During the early 20th century, prime ministers began to also derive from republics and not only monarchies. What contrasted this form or style of government is that the party would select its leader, rather than being directly elected as head of state, and the party that wins an election would enable its leader to be the Prime Minister.

Although initially Prime Ministers usually reflected a given party winning, some countries began to merge and blend Presidential systems with that of a Parliamentary system, whereby the Prime Minister was sometimes directly elected (e.g., Israel). Some countries, such as France, have a dual system of President and Prime Minister, where sometimes one has more power than the other or the two co-exist as a type of check and balance situation. Most of the world's government have emulated and/or modified the British system, although in North and South America many countries there use the Presidential system similar to the United States.