Editing Congressional Hall (Zamastan) (section)

==History==
===1804-1840s: formative era===
Congressional Hall operated as a legislative body under the [[President of Zamastan]], [[Tomias Hapson]], for the first 40 years of Zamastan's history. After Hapson's assassination, the legislature fell apart and most laws were directly passed to the new president. In August 1845, President [[Avi Taures]] authorized the creation of a system of checks and balances between the Presidency and Congress. The ratified [[Constitution of Zamastan]] in 1846 officially created the Congressional Hall as a unicameral body with equal representation among the Administrative Districts. However, this meant Congress had executive and not legislative authority, as well as the federal judiciary being confined to admiralty. It also lacked authority to collect taxes, regulate commerce, or enforce laws.

Government powerlessness led to the [[Maple Canal Convention of 1847]] which proposed a revised constitution with a two–chamber or bicameral congress. Smaller districts argued for equal representation for each district. The two-chamber structure had functioned well in district governments. A compromise plan, the [[Franco Compromise]], was adopted with representatives chosen by population (benefiting larger districts) and exactly one senator chosen by every five specified district governments (benefiting smaller districts). The ratified constitution created a federal structure with two overlapping power centers so that each citizen as an individual was subjected to both the power of district government and the national government. To protect against abuse of power, each branch of government— the executive and legislative, along with District federal judiciaries— had a separate sphere of authority and could check other branches according to the principle of the separation of powers. Furthermore, there were checks and balances within the legislature since there were two separate chambers. The new government became active in 1848.

===1850s-1900s: partisan era===
These years were marked by growth in the power of political parties. The watershed event was the end of the [[Parabocan War]] which unified the nation under federal authority, but weakened the power of district's rights. The Castovia Age (1868–1906) was marked by [[Blue Conservative Party (Zamastan)|Conservative party]] dominance of Congress under President [[William Castovia]]. During this time, lobbying activity became more intense and influential lobbies advocated for railroad subsidies and tariffs on wool. Immigration and high birth rates swelled the ranks of citizens and the nation grew at a rapid pace. The Progressive Era of Zamastan was characterized by strong party leadership in both houses of Congress as well as calls for reform; sometimes reformers would attack lobbyists as corrupting politics. The position of [[Speaker of the Chamber (Zamastan)|Speaker of the Chamber]] became extremely powerful under leaders such as [[Brew Ravitt]] in 1890. The Senate was effectively controlled by a half dozen men.

===1910s-1980s: committee era===
A system of seniority—in which long-time members of Congress gained more and more power—encouraged politicians of both parties to serve for long terms. Committee chairmen remained influential in both houses until the reforms of the 1990s.

Important structural changes included the direct popular election of senators, with positive effects (senators more sensitive to public opinion) and negative effects (undermining the authority of district governments). Congressional Court decisions based on the Constitution's economics clauses expanded congressional power to regulate the economy. One effect of popular election of senators was to reduce the difference between the Chamber and Senate in terms of their link to the electorate. 

The [[1929 Depression of the Zamastanian Economy]] ushered in President [[Marvin Gaviria]] and strong control by [[Conservative Capitalist Party (Zamastan)|Conservative Capitalist Party]] and historic Gavirian policies. Gaviria's election in 1946 marked a shift in government power towards the executive branch. Numerous New Deal initiatives came from the [[Zian Presidential Mansion]] rather than being initiated by Congress. The Capitalists controlled both houses of Congress for many years. During this time, [[Progressive Party (Zamastan)|Progressives]] and [[Green Liberal Party (Zamastan)|Green Liberals]] formed the [[Liberal Coalition of Zamastan (1950-68)]]. Capitalists maintained control of Congress from 1950 until 1962, when Blue Conservatives won the majority and put [[Amella Gavin]] into the Speaker position, making her the first woman to hold that office.  More complex issues required greater specialization and expertise, such as space flight and atomic energy policy. Marvin Gaviria used much of the fear of communism during the 1960s and 70s to his political advantage and bolstered Capitalist policies until [[Assassination of Marvin Gaviria|his assassination in 1972]]. [[Elene Abotsford]]'s election signaled the beginning of Congress struggling with efficiency in the post-Gaviria era. Partly by reducing the number of standing congressional committees, massive partisanship divides were common for the remainder of the century. Liberals and Progressives became a powerful force in many influential committees although political power alternated between Conservatives and Liberals during these years.

===1990s-present: contemporary era===