Forms of Governments

Civics and Government Understanding SS7CG4 Compare and contrast various forms of government INTRODUCTION TO TERMS

To study governments, geographers look at the following: Types – Who rules and who participates. Systems – How the power is distributed.

Types of Government are based on one key question: Who governs and what is the citizen participation? There are three types of governments: Autocracy, Oligarchy, and Democracy

Systems of Government are based on one question: How is the power distributed? There are three ways governments distribute power: Unitary Confederation Federal

Autocracy A government by a single person having unlimited power (domination through threat of punishment and violence) . There are three types of Autocracy

# 1 Dictatorship A country ruled by a single leader. The leader has not been elected and may use force to keep control. Example-Adolf Hitler Saddam Hussien

#2 Absolute Monarchy A monarchy has a king, queen, emperor or empress. The power is usually inherited or passed down from family members. The monarch has absolute power meaning they can make all decisions without consulting anyone.

#3 Constitutional Monarchy Kings, queens or emperors share power with elected legislatures. Generally the Kings are northing more than figureheads. The government is a democratic one that limits the monarchs power. Example: Great Britain

Oligarchy A government in which a few people such as a dominant clan or clique have power. The group gets their power from either military, wealth or social status. Elections may be held but offer only one candidate.

Democratic In a democracy, the government is elected by the people. Everyone who is eligible to vote has a chance to have their say over who runs the country. A democracy is determined either directly OR through elected representatives

In a democracy…. Individual freedom and equality is valued. Free elections are held Decisions are based on majority rule. All candidates can express their views freely. Citizens vote by secret ballot.

Presidential and Parliamentary President is chosen separately from the legislature Parliamentary: People vote for the political party representative The political party representatives choose the leader (Prime Minister) who leads the government

Parliamentary System Presidential System Executive Executive Legislative Select Elect Elect Legislative Elect Citizens Citizens

Systems of Government are based on one question: How is the power distributed? There are three ways governments distribute power: Unitary Confederation Federal

UNITARY A system of government in which ALL of the power is in the central government

CONFEDERATION A government that joins together groups or smaller governments. The central power has less power than the individual states. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a confederation.

FEDERAL A system of government where power is shared or divided between the central government and the state government.

THEOCRACY A government ruled by religious leaders according to religious law. Iran has a theocratic government.

POINTS TO PONDER and DISCUSS This will be collected as your “exit ticket”-please write name and responses on a piece of paper. How can various forms of government lead to conflict between governments? Within a country? How might the role of the citizen vary in a ….? Democracy Autocracy

MY GOVERNMENT TERMS UNITARY AUTOCRATIC DICTATORSHIP ABSOLUTE MONARCHY CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY FEDERAL DEMOCRATIC PARLIMENTARY/PRESIDENTIAL CONFEDERATION OLIGARCHIC THEOCRACY