The thesis analyzes and compares bicameral parliaments in four selected countries and
specifically the Slovenian National Council with other upper houses. In the theoretical part, the
emphasis is on a very clear presentation of political systems, the development of
parliamentarism and the rise of bicameralism. Research is limited to Slovenia, the USA, Russia
and Great Britain. The purpose of thesis is primarily to show the similarities and differences in
the functioning of modern bicameral parliaments and to assess their strength on the basis of the
powers given to them. The analysis in the empirical part offers us great similarities between the
first and second chambers, but at the same time even more differences that are essential for
determining power relations. The key findings of the thesis are that in the case of selected
countries the upper houses of parliament are weaker than the lower houses of parliament and
that the Slovenian National Council is the weakest among all other countries involved, but its
role in Slovenia's incomplete bicameral system is far from insignificant.
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