1. TYPES OF GOVERNMENT
AIM: How does government differ around the globe?

2. I. Classifying Government
No two governments are, or ever have been alike.
Over time, political scientists have developed many basic classifications of government.
Three of which are:
A. who can participate in the governing process
B. the geographic distribution of governmental power within the state
C. the relationship between the legislative (lawmaking) and the executive (law executing) branches of government

3. A. Who can participate?
This is the most meaningful to many people because it is the one that depends on the number of people who can take part in the governing process.
There are two basics forms to think about here.
1) Democracy
2) Dictatorship

4. II. Democracy Supreme political authority rests with the people.
The people hold the sovereign power.
The government is
conducted only by and
with consent of the people.

5. III. 2 Basic Forms of Democracy:
Direct (Pure): public policy is created directly by the people themselves in mass meetings.
2) Indirect (the representative): a small group of persons, chosen by the people to act as their representatives, expresses the popular will.
* Which one is the American form?

6. IV. Dictatorship
Exists where those who rule cannot be held responsible to the will of the people.
The government is not accountable for its policies, nor how they are carried out.
This is probably the oldest, and is certainly the most common, form of government known in history.
All dictatorships are authoritarian: those in power hold absolute and unchallengeable authority over the people.

7. V. Different forms of Dictatorship:
1) Autocracy: a single person holds unlimited political power!
Although these have existed, only a few exist today.
2) Oligarchy: the power to rule is held by a small, usually self appointed, elite.
What else does this sound like?
* Modern dictatorships tend to also be totalitarian: they exercise complete power over nearly every aspect of human affairs.

8. Leading Examples of Dictatorship:
These regimes are typically militaristic in character and usually gain power by force.
BENITO MUSSOLINI
Joseph Stalin
Adolf Hitler
Vladimir Lenin
Can you think of any other examples?

9. B. Geographic Distribution of Power
In every system of government, the power to govern is located in one or more places geographically.
From this standpoint, three basic forms of governments exist:
1) Unitary
2) Federal
3) Confederate

10. VI. Unitary Government Often described as a centralized government.
All powers held by the government belong to a single, central agency.
Local governments only have the power that the centralized government allows them.
This is not the same as a dictatorship! Why?

11. OMG! We ARE NOT a dictatorship!
A little example:
OMG! We ARE NOT a dictatorship!

12. VII. Confederate Government
An alliance of independent states with a central organization.
This government has the power to handle only those matters that member states have assigned to it.
Most often, they do not have the power to make laws that apply to individuals.
Its main job is to make it possible for several states to cooperate in matters of common concern.
What does this remind you of?

13. C. Relationships Between Legislative and Executive Branches
This grouping yields two basic forms:
1) Presidential
2) Parliamentary

14. VIII. Presidential Government:
Features separation of powers between legislative and executive branches of government.
These branches are independent of each other and are coequal.
The Chief executive is chosen independently of the legislature, holds office for a fixed term, and has a number of significant powers.
The United States is the worlds leading example of a presidential government…we invented the form!

15. IX. Parliamentary Government
The executive is made up of the Prime Minister, or Premier, and the officials cabinet.
Voters elect the legislature, which elects the executive.
The prime minister and their cabinet stay in power as long as their policies and administration have support of the majority of parliament.
A majority of governmental systems in the world today are parliamentary, not presidential. !

16. RANDOM…. Word Definition acracy government by none; anarchy adhocracy
government in an unstructured fashion;
an unstructured organization
albocracy
government by white people
androcracy
government by men
anemocracy
government by the wind or by whim
angelocracy
government by angels
argentocracy
government by money
aristarchy
government by the best
aristocracy
government by the nobility
barbarocracy
government by barbarians
beerocracy
government by brewers or brewing interests
bestiocracy
rule by beasts
cannonarchy
government by superior firepower or by cannons
cosmarchy
rulership over the entire world, esp. by the devil
cottonocracy
government by those involved in the cotton trade
cryptarchy
secret rulership
demonarchy
government by a demon
demonocracy
government by demons or evil forces

17. Promoting Direct Democracy

18. Dictatorship

19. Dictatorship

20. Totalitarianism

22. Democracy (Indirect)

23. Make your own Political Cartoon
Draw a cartoon showing similarities between 2 forms of government.
Draw a cartoon showing contrasts or differences between 2 forms. ex:(Presidential, Parliamentary, Dictatorship, Totalitarianism)
Next, for each cartoon write 1 paragraph write-up on what your cartoon means, what government you are talking about, its definition
Explain it’s characteristics as they relate to:
A. Who can participate in the governing process!
C. the relationship between the legislative (lawmaking) and the executive (law executing) branches of government!