1. Government
Types of Government

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

3. 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

4. Types of government define who rules and who participates
There are three types of governments:
Autocracy: Rule by one
Oligarchy: Rule by few
Democracy: Rule by all
Forms: Direct and Representative
Methods: Parliamentary and Presidential

5. Governments distribute power through systems.
Unitary
All decisions and power held at a central level
Federal
Decisions and power split between national and state or provincial governments

6. Autocracy
Government in which the power to govern is held by one person.
Generally the power to rule is inherited or taken by military force.

7. There are three types of autocratic government.
Dictatorships
Absolute Monarchies
Constitutional Monarchies

8. Dictatorship
A dictatorship consists of rule by one person or a group of people often taken by force.
Very few dictators admit they are dictators and almost always claim to be leaders of democracies
Add key points in the history of your country to the timeline.

9. Dictatorship Description Examples include: A leader has total power
Cuba (Castro) & North Korea (Kim Jong Il) .

10. Monarchy A monarchy consists of rule by a king/queen or “emperor”.
Absolute
Constitutional
Insert a picture illustrating a season in your country.

11. 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 and laws without consulting anyone.
Example
Louis XIV in France during the 1700s

12. Constitutional Monarchy
King/Queen has power that is limited by a set of rules called a constitution) and shares power with elected officials
Generally the Kings are nothing more than figureheads.
The government is a democratic one that limits the monarchs power.
Example
Present day England

13. Oligarchy
When a family or small group of people control all of the power to govern and make laws
The group gets their power from either military, wealth or social status.
Elections may be held but offer only one candidate.
Examples
China
Only one party (communist) allowed

14. Theocracy type of oligarchy where religious leaders govern Example
Iran

15. Democracy “Democracy” literally means “rule by the people.”
In a democracy, the people govern – by voting.
Insert a map of your country.

16. 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.

17. Kinds of democracies
Direct Democracy
Representative Democracy

18. Direct Democracy Description Example:
The power of government is controlled directly by the people
Everyone votes on every issue
Example:
In some American states, town meetings are held where every citizen votes by publicly proclaiming their vote.

19. Direct democracy is impossible in a political system containing more than a few people.
In a representative democracy, delegates are selected by the people through a defined process to make and enforce laws.
Insert a picture of one of the geographic features of your country.

20. Representative Democracy
The people elect representatives who then make decisions for them
Example:
Canada, United States

21. Forms of Representative Democracy
Parliamentary
Presidential

22. Parliamentary Democracy
Voters elect members to a Parliament (legislature)
Example:
Canada, Britain,

23. Parliamentary Democracy
Parliaments are bicameral in that they have two houses where decisions are made
House of Commons
The political party with the most elected members in the House of Commons forms the government. The leader of that party becomes the Prime Minister.
Senate or House of Lords
Elected government chooses people to govern in the senate.

24. Presidential Democracy
Voters elect legislators and also elect, directly or indirectly, the President.
Therefore, in the presidential system voters have a more direct say about those who serve in two branches of the government :
Legislative
Executive

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

26. Putting it all together….
The United Kingdom… is an autocratic constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy and a unitary system. The United States… is a presidential democracy with a federal system.