1. How are people governed around the world?
Political Systems
How are people governed around the world?

2. Monarchy Sovereignty resides with a single individual – the monarch
Forms vary widely
Level of legal autonomy of the monarch
Selection of the monarch
Limits on length of tenure
Usually few legal restraints
Example: Louis XIV

3. Constitutional Monarchy
Form of democratic government
Monarch acts as nonpolitical head of state
Boundaries within the constitution
Written or unwritten
May hold formal reserve powers
Do not set public policy
Do not choose political leaders
Example: Queen Elizabeth & Co.

4. Oligarchy Power rests with a small number of elites
Royalty
Wealthy
Family ties
Education
Religious or military control
Controlled by a few prominent families
Example: Russian Federation (multinational corporations have HUGE political power)

5. Authoritarian Regime Absolute rule & obedience to an authority
Restrict individual freedoms
4 qualities
Constraints on political institutions
Basis for legitimacy based on emotion (against a necessary evil)
Constraints on the mass public
Formally ill-defined executive power
Extreme version: totalitarianism
Difference is that social & economic institutions do exist that are not under government control in authoritarianism
Examples
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan – democratic government with authoritarian tendencies
Joseph Stalin – totalitarian dictator
Fidel Castro – former ruler of Cuba

6. Democracy All eligible citizens participate equally
Directly or indirectly through elected representatives
Define “citizen”
Propose, develop, and create laws
Originates from the Greek “rule of the people”
Two basic forms
Direct democracy – eligible citizens have direct & active participation in political decision-making
Representative democracy – power of the whole body of citizens is exercised through elected representatives
Examples
United States
Netherlands
Japan