1. GOVERNMENT What is government?
Government is an organization people set up to protect the community and make rules
There is a leader or leaders in charge
There are rules or laws to follow

2. What does a government do?
Protects the community
Makes laws
Keeps or maintains order/peace
Collects taxes to take care of things (roads, public buildings, postal service, military, schools)

3. Why do people need government?
For protection of people and
property
Making rules- to maintain order
Enforcing laws- to ensure safety
To have someone in charge of schools, roads, military, etc.
Without it= chaos, disorder, unsafe

4. Who has authority or power in a government? What is power?
The leader (king, president, emperor)
The leader’s “people” (assistants, noblemen, aristocrats…)
The citizens (by voting in a Democracy)
Power is…..

5. Power is…
The ability to direct or influence the behavior of others, or the course of events.

6. What types of government
are there?
Common types are:
Monarchy – King or Emperor
Oligarchy – Ruled by Few
Tyranny/Dictatorship – Single Leader
Democracy/Republic – By the People
Theocracy – God is the Supreme Ruler

7. The Divine Right of Kings (*See Theocracy)
monarchy
Power is in the hands of a king, queen, emperor or empress.
The ruling position can be passed on to the ruler’s children – this is called inheritance.
In some traditional monarchies, the monarch has absolute power (judges, leading army, making laws)
A constitutional monarchy, like the United Kingdom, also has a democratic government that limits the monarch's control.
Aristocrats or noblemen (the king’s “people”) can help make decisions if the Ruler wants them to.
The Divine Right of Kings (*See Theocracy)

8. Oligarchy Oligarchy means “Rule by a Few”
A government in which a few people have power (political group, one social class, or one race – Often times they are wealthy $$$)
The Oligarchs primarily care only about themselves.
The make decisions to benefit their group and many times are described as
“making the rich richer and the poor poorer”.

9. Tyranny/Dictatorship
A country ruled by a single leader known as a Tyrant or Dictator.
The leader has NOT been elected and may use force to take and keep control.
The tyrant or dictator has all the power over citizens’ lives and citizens have no choices.
Some tyrants made their supporters happy and helped the poor. They did this so they were not overthrown. Others were not so kind.

10. Theocracy
A form of government in which God (or the gods) is the supreme ruler
The leader is thought to serve through his “divine right” and represent God on Earth
The laws often come from the Holy Books/texts that the religion of the culture follows.
Examples:
The Pope in the Vatican City/Roman Catholic Church
Saudi Arabia is an Islamic Theocracy

11. Democracy
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. It is different from governments controlled by a particular social class or group.
A democracy is determined either directly (everyone votes) or indirectly (People elect representatives.)

12. Direct Democracy Representative democracy
People vote directly on every issue
Only practical in a small community
This type of Democracy started in Athens
People are represented by elected officials
They vote for the person they think has similar opinions or views as themselves.
Used in large countries (Like the USA)
Citizens have power and choices
VERY similar to a Republican government

13. Republic
A Republic is a country with elected representatives and an elected head of state (who is NOT a monarch.)
The head of the country is usually an elected president.
Citizens can vote and have power. This is very similar to a Representative Democracy.

14. Ancient Greece
Mountains covered about 75% of Greece; these barriers divided the Greek people into separate mountain valleys and made unifying Greece nearly impossible
The Greek people were divided into independent city-states (called polis) within each valley and its surrounding mountains
Greek city-states had an agora (a massive marketplace) that was the center for trade and government and an acropolis, a temple on a hill dedicated to one of the sacred gods or goddesses
Some polis like Athens had a direct democracy, a government ruled by citizens who vote on decisions
The Greek cultural contributions (especially from Athens) to philosophy, art, entertainment, literature, architecture, science, education, and democracy formed the foundation of Western civilization

15. I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X
Roman Republic
Roman Society was divided into 2 major groups: Patricians (Nobles) and Plebeians (commoners)
Their form of government was a REPUBLIC, where the citizens have the power to elect leaders.
Roman Law was eventually written down onto the Twelve Tables. These laws were based on the idea that all citizens of Rome had a right to the protection of the law
Roman Contributions:
Changed our calendar to 365 days and named the months
Gave us 1/3 of our English language
Used Roman numerals that we still see today on clocks, watches, and in books
I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X

16. Influence of Rome and Greece
Many facets of modern American life can be traced back to the innovations of the Greeks and Romans. Things like:
Mathematics
Astronomy
Engineering
Science
Customs & Traditions
Architecture
Sports
Philosophy
Medicine
Government
Language
Religion
Law
Education
Entertainment
Literature
Art
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