Types of Government

What is the purpose of government? To protect the rights of its citizens! How do these types of government protect the rights of its citizens (if they do at all)?

Autocracy A system of government in which ONE PERSON has all of the power They make all the laws, enforce the laws as they see fit, and interpret the law themselves

Monarchy A system of government where a king or queen rules the country Power to rule runs through family line (child of the current king/queen) Most monarchs today are constitutional monarchies (the power of the king or queen is limited by a national constitution and elected officials) There are still some absolute monarchies in the world today! Examples: Norway (constitutional monarchy) Saudi Arabia (absolute monarchy)

Dictatorship A system of government where one leader has absolute power over the lives of the citizens and the government Dictators usually control the military and rule through fear and intimidation Power to rule is taken by the use of the military and maintained by the use of the military Example: North Korea

Representative Democracy A system of government where the citizens elected government leaders to represent them in government These elected leaders represent people of certain areas in government and are supposed to make laws and decisions based on what their constituents (people they represent) want If they don’t, they don’t get re-elected! Example: United States

Direct Democracy A system of government where the citizens vote directly on the day-to-day workings of government Direct democracies only elect people to represent their country to other nations, not to make decisions for them. Example: Switzerland

Oligarchy A system of government where a small group of people rule the country. This small group has all the power of government and can become dictatorships Example: Egypt

Theocracy A system of government that is ruled by a religious group and recognizes God or a divine being as the ultimate source of government power Theocracies usually require its citizens to be members of the religious group Example: Iran

Anarchy Not a system of government In an anarchaic state, NO ONE IS IN CHARGE OF OTHER PEOPLE! People do what is in their best interest only Example: None

Communism A system of government where all property and businesses are controlled by the government There are no social classes (rich/poor, etc.) and all wealth is distributed evenly Most communist governments are ruled by a strong central government that controls every aspect of its citizens’ lives Example: Vietnam

Socialism A system of government where the democratically elected government regulates business and industry with the goal of meeting the needs of its people, not profit. Government does not own all business, but does regulate it to ensure equal treatment to its citizens. Government does own some businesses and services (health care, electric companies, etc.) for its citizens Example: China