Which would you like to live under? Types of Government Which would you like to live under?

1. Anarchy a condition of lawlessness or political disorder brought about by the absence of government.

2. Republic supreme power is retained by the people and authority is periodically renewed or modified as the people desire A) Democracy-people vote on governmental power/control 1) Representative Democracy-elected officials are given power to make decisions for groups of people Example: United States 2) Direct Democracy-power lies directly in the hands of the people rather than being exercised through their representatives Example: Taking a class vote

B) Parliamentary-a government in which members of an executive branch are nominated to their positions by lawmakers or parliament, and are directly responsible to parliament. 1) Parliamentary democracy – parliament (lawmakers) selects the government according to party strength as expressed in elections; by this system, the government acquires a dual responsibility to the people as well as to the parliament. 2) Parliamentary monarchy – government headed by a monarch (king or queen) who is not actively involved or have lawmaking power. True governmental leadership is carried out by an executive, who is chosen by parliament

3. Authoritarian Supreme authority is possessed by the government, not the people and it imposes its power into many aspects of its citizens’ lives. A) Dictatorship-a ruler that has absolute (total) power which is not restricted by a constitution or laws.

B) Totalitarian-a government that seeks to weaken the people and keep power in the government by controlling not only all political and economic matters, but also the attitudes, values and beliefs of its population. 1) Oligarchy-a government in which control is exercised by a small group of individuals whose authority is usually based on power (military) 2) Plutocracy-a government in which authority is controlled by a group of the wealthiest people (It could also be a dictatorship)

C) Theocracy-a form of government in which a god is recognized as the supreme civil ruler. God's laws are applied through the government and the government listens to religious authority. 1) Islamic Republic-a particular form of government adopted by some Muslim countries where it’s a republic form of government, but its laws are required to be compatible with the laws of Islam. 2) Sultanate or Emirate- similar to a monarchy, the supreme power is in the hands of an emir or sultan (the ruler of a Muslim state); they maybe an absolute (total) ruler or have limited authority as stated in the laws of the country.

D) Monarchy-a government in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of a monarch (king, queen, prince, etc.) who reigns over a region, usually for life and by hereditary (past down from generation to generation) right 1) Absolute monarchy - a form of government where the monarch rules unhindered, i.e., without any laws, constitution or legally organized opposition. Monarch has absolute (total) power 2) Constitutional monarchy - a system of government in which a monarch is guided by a constitution whereby his/her rights, duties, and responsibilities are spelled out in written law or by custom.