1. Systems of Governments

2. Government/Civics Understandings SS7CG4 The student will compare and contrast various forms of government. a. Describe the ways government systems distribute power: unitary, confederation, and federal.

3. Governments distribute power in different ways depending on type of government instituted.
Note: Countries do not design their government systems to fit into categories. Therefore, a government may have aspects of more than one system.

4. What Do You Know?
Name the city, county, state, and country you live in. Beside the name of each place, what is the leader of each kind of government is called?
City – Mayor
Gwinnett – County Commissioner
Georgia – Governor
United States – President
Why are there different levels in our government?

5. Why Do We Have Governments?
They are organized ways for creating laws/rules designed to protect the well-being of the general public and to help manage conflict.
They determine the power structure (who has the power) within a country.
In some countries, only one person or party maintains centralized control of the government, while in other countries power is shared between individuals and factions.

6. Why Do We Have Governments?
All countries require governments to function.
Governments provide laws, structure, public services, and national defense.
There are different types of governments:
democracies
republics
monarchies
dictatorships

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

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

9. Unitary One central government controls everything.
Power is not shared between central and local governments.

10. Unitary Diagram:

11. Unitary Governments of the World (All countries in blue)

12. Confederation Two Options: Examples: none in this region
A. A voluntary or weak association of independent states that agrees to follow a powerful central government.
B. Nations can choose to follow or not follow the lead of the weak central government.
Examples: none in this region

13. Confederation
In a confederation the central government is less powerful than local governments

14. Confederation Diagram:

15. Federal
Power is shared by a powerful central government and local governments
States or provinces are given considerable self rule, usually through their own legislatures.
Examples: United States of America, Iraq

16. Federal System Diagram:

17. Federal Governments of the World (All countries in green)

18. Power sharing Where are the decisions made?
Unitary— the strong central government tells the states what to do
Federal—the central government and the state government share power
Confederate—the central government is very weak and the state governments have the power to make their own decisions

19. Forms of Government

20. The type of government that we have affects
Governments are very important to us.
They affect everything in our lives.
The type of government that we have affects
where we live
where we work
what we eat
where we
go to school
what we wear

21. Autocracy
Government by a single person having unlimited power; despotism (domination through threat of punishment and violence) .
Ex: Saudi
Arabia
Oman

22. Lykurgos from ancient Sparta
Oligarchy
Most of the political power in the government is controlled by a small group (usually the wealthiest or most ruthless).
Lykurgos from ancient Sparta
Example: Syria

23. Government by the People
Democracy
Government by the People
Example:Iraq, Turkey

24. People have a say in their government by voting.
Democracy
People have a say in their government by voting.

25. Presidential v. Parliamentary

26. 3 Branches of Government
Legislative – create laws
Executive – enforces laws
Judicial – interprets laws

27. Parliamentary Democracy
Examples
The voters elect the members of Parliament who than choose the Prime Minister who is head of the Executive Branch.
Jordan
Voters
Legislative Branch
Israel
Parliament
Executive Branch
Prime Minister

28. Parliamentary
The party in power in Parliament picks the Prime Minister (Premier)
Prime Minister (executive) has to answer to the parliament for his actions and decisions
Prime Minister is a member of Parliament

29. Presidential Democracy
Examples
The voters elect the members of the Executive Branch separately from the legislative branch.
United States
France
Voters
Legislature
Chief Executive
Argentina
Israel
Congress
(House and Senate)
President

30. Presidential
The President is constitutionally separate from Congress and cannot be dismissed by Congress.
(exception: impeachment)