1. Distribution of Power and Authority
Types of Government
Distribution of Power and Authority

2. Power by Authority How much power/control does the government have?
Governments differ based on Authority
How much power/control does the government have?
How does the government gain power
Power Spectrum
Anarchy
Totalitarian

3. Totalitarianism
Government and the state manages nearly all aspects of public and private life
People do not have personal freedoms
No privacy
People have no say in government decisions
Almost all choices in your life are made by the government
Jobs
Schools
Where you live

4. Problems w/ Totalitarianism
No civil liberties (personal rights)
Government makes decisions that are in their best interest
The people don’t have a say in decisions that can impact their lives

5. Anarchy No government body = no powers
Individuals make decisions concerning all aspects of life
Problems with Anarchy
Dealing with major issues
Foreign Threats
International Trade
Domestic Issues (health, poverty)

6. Governments - Power by Level
Some types use different levels of government to divide powers (not branches)
Unitary
Confederate
Federal

7. Unitary Governments All power belongs to one single agency
If that agency wants to give away some powers
Power is usually given to other smaller local governments just to make it easier on the central agency

8. Example of Unitary Government
Great Britain
Parliament makes up the whole government
There are some local governments, but they were just created to make it easier on Parliament
Parliament could eliminate these governments at any time

9. Federal Governments Also known as Federalism
Power is divided into levels - one central government and several local governments
No one level can gain more power without the consent of the other level
Each level has their own powers, and these cannot be changed without the consent of the people
Some powers are shared

10. Example of Federal Governments
United States
One central government (National)
Several local government (States)
Constitution divided powers between these two levels and this cannot change unless the citizens want it to

11. Confederate Government
Alliance of several independent states
There is a Confederate Government that only gets powers that all states agree upon
Usually deals with international trade/ national defense
States are allowed to maintain their identities, but they also have the benefit of working with other states on common issues
Has one common constitution

12. Example of a Confederate State
Confederate States of America
Separated from the United States during the Civil War
11 States wanted to be independent of the U.S. Government and have total control over their state.
Created 1 constitution for all of the states
They did this because they didn’t like the fact that the federal government had some powers over them