Civics Chapter 1, Section 2 Forms of Government Civics Chapter 1, Section 2

Main idea Different forms of government are categorized based on who exercises authority and how power is organized

Classic forms of government: Monarchy ruled by a monarch, usually a king or queen, power is inherited, have unlimited power, Most common form of rule in world history; today they are rare Is an example of an autocracy ex: Jordan

Constitutional Monarchy power is limited by law, real power lies in another branch, may coexist with other forms of government such as representative democracy ex: United Kingdom

Dictatorship Single dictator or small group holds absolute authority and makes all decisions, Violence and force used to maintain rule Ex: Cuba Dictators often achieve power by violently overthrowing a government. The maintain power by force, stifling even peaceful opposition with varying degrees of repression and brutality.

Totalitarian Regimes Dictator holds ultimate authority, Government tightly controls all aspects of life-political, social, economic No formal or informal limits on government Ex: North Korea

Oligarchy/Aristocracy Small group of powerful people make most government decisions for their own benefit ruling group may be based on wealth, family, or military power Ex: ancient Greece (Sparta)

Theocracy Rulers claim to represent and be directed by a set of religious ideas Government power in unlimited Ex: Iran

Direct Democracy Government by the people; citizens are the ultimate source of government authority Citizens discuss and pass laws, select leaders Works best in small communities Ex: ancient Greece (Athens)

Republic/Representative Democracy Government by the people; citizens are the ultimate source of government authority Indirect form of democracy; citizens elect representatives to make government decisions on their behalf Representatives elected for set terms Ex: ancient Rome, United States

Power in 3 systems of government unitary system: central government has power and makes decisions, regional governments carry out decisions. Ex: U.K., Japan federal system: National, state and federal governments share power. Ex: U.S., India confederal system: Central government only has powers given to it by the states. Ex: U.S. under Articles of Confederation, European Union

presidential system President is head of executive branch of government, is elected by the people, is head of state, head of armed forces, can veto laws from congress Only congress can declare war Must have cooperation to achieve results

Presidential system: advantages/disadvantages Advantages: is elected by the people; separation of powers prevents abuses of authority; independent of other branches of government; can make decisions quickly and independently Disadvantages: difficult to remove him; separation of powers may lead to gridlock; branches of government may have different agendas; president may become too strong; many become authoritarian

Parliamentary system Most of world’s democracies modeled after the British system The Prime Minister is elected by Parliament, and is the leader of the majority party Combining the executive and legislative branches gets things done, but, they do not keep each other in check

Parliamentary System advantages/disadvantages Advantages: legislative and executive branches are often united in purpose; prime minister directly accountable to parliament; easier to pass legislation Disadvantages: few checks and balances; Prime Minister selected by the legislative branch, not by the people; Prime Minister lacks independence