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American Government C1, S2 – Forms of Government
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No two are exactly alike Products of human needs & experiences Classification as a government is based on: Who can participate Geographic distribution Relationship between legislative and executive branches Classifying Governments
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Two basic forms Who Can Participate DemocracyDictatorship Political authority rests with the people Direct or indirect Presidential – powers separated into executive & legislative branch Parliamentary – executive branch part of legislature Federal – power shared by local & national government Confederate – power centered in local governments Unitary – power centered in national government Rulers not responsible to the people Government not accountable for policies of how they are carried out Autocracy – one person rules Oligarchy – small group rules All are authoritarian Most are totalitarian Militaristic
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Authority rests with the people In a democracy, people are sovereign Direct or Indirect Democracy
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Also called pure democracy Occurs when the will of the people translates into public policy Works only on a small, local level Direct Democracy
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Also called representative democracy A group of persons chosen by the people express the will of the people Widely used on a national, State, and local level Indirect Democracy
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Exists where those who rule cannot be held responsible to the will of the people Most common form of government known to history Identified as either autocracies or oligarchies Dictatorship
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Government in which a single person holds unlimited political power Autocracy
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Government in which the power to rule is held by a small, usually self-appointed elite Oligarchy
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In every system of government, the power to govern is located in one or more places geographically. From this standpoint, 3 basic forms of government exist Unitary Federal Confederate Geographic Distribution of Power
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(Centralized government) All powers held by the government belong to a single, central agency The central (national) government creates local units for its own convenience Most government in the world are unitary Parliament 50 state governments Unitary Government
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The powers of government are divided between a central and several local governments Division of powers is based on a geographic basis Set out in the U.S. Constitution Federal Government
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Alliance of independent states Limited powers in defense & foreign affairs Articles of Confederation (1781-1789) & the Confederate States of America (1861-1865) Confederate Government
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Political scientists also classify governments based on the relationship between their legislative & executive agencies. This grouping yields two basic forms of government Presidential Parliamentary Legislative & Executive Branches
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Features a separation of powers between the executive & legislative branches of the government Independent and coequal Details spelled out in a written constitution (i.e., U.S.) Powers to block actions of other branch Form invented in the United States Presidential Government
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The executive branch is made up of the prime minister or premier, and that official’s cabinet The prime minister & cabinet are themselves members of the legislative branch, the parliament The executive is chosen by the legislature, is part of it, and is subject to its direct control Majority of the governmental systems in the world today Parliamentary Government
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