America's presidential election campaign, now in its closing stages, sees two leaders - and two parties - perhaps more deeply divided than at any time in recent memory.

Barack Obama and Mitt Romney speak of two very different visions for America. Mr Romney celebrates the rugged individualism of a country where people build their own success and government keeps out of the way. Mr Obama says government can be a force for good, that citizens have obligations to each other. What do the two men represent? From which former presidents do they draw their inspiration?

As America struggles to recover from the deepest recession since the 1930s, what have we learned about the man who promised hope and change four years ago? Did a candidate who seemed so radical turn into a more conventional president? And what exactly does Mitt Romney believe?

Our Washington correspondent, Paul Adams, has been talking to the men and women advising the two candidates, as well as former White House insiders and historians.

(Image: Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, Credit: AFP/Getty) Show less