Organs of the Government: Legislature Explained

The lesson starts with the organs of the government, focusing on the legislature. The term 'legislature' comes from 'legis' (law) and 'lature' (place), meaning a place where law is made. Another name for the legislature is parliament, derived from the French word 'parley', meaning to talk or discuss.

Legislature is primarily concerned with making laws. Modern legislatures have the power to make, amend, or repeal existing laws.

There are two types of legislatures: unicameral and bicameral. Unicameral legislatures have only one house (e.g., China, New Zealand, Turkey), while bicameral legislatures have two houses. India (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) and the USA (House of Representatives and Senate) are examples of countries with bicameral legislatures.

Other countries with bicameral legislatures include Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Japan and France. In India, some states, like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra, have bicameral legislatures at the state level (Bidhan Sabha and Bidhan Parishad), while others, like West Bengal, have only one house..