Forms Of Government Slideshow Transcript

Forms of Government (slideshow transcript)

Name______Class____

To understand governments, two questions must be answered. They are:

1. How do the citizens participate in their government?

2. How is the power is distributed? 1. How do the citizens participate (or not) in their government?

 Autocracy  Oligarchy  Democracy  Autocracy The power to govern is held by one person. Generally, the power to rule is inherited or seized by military force. The people obey. The people do not participate except to follow the law.

#1 Dictatorship The leader has not been elected and uses force to control all aspects of social and economic life. Examples: Adolf Hitler in Germany and Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union

#2 Absolute Monarchy This type of ruler is a king, queen, emperor, or empress. The power is usually inherited or passed down from family members through the bloodline. The monarch has absolute power and can make all decisions without consulting the citizens.

 Oligarchy A government in which a few people such as a dominant clan or clique have power. The group gets their power from military, wealth or social status. Elections may be held but offer only one candidate. Examples: Greek city states

The people obey. The people do not participate except to follow the law.

 Democracy In a democracy, the government is “rule by the people.”

#1 Direct Democracy – People vote on all the issues. What a bother!! It was the earliest form of democracy. People soon tired of all that voting and decided to elect representative to vote for them.

#2 Representative Democracy – People elect representatives and give them the power to vote on issues. Example: United States,

In a democracy….  Individual freedom and equality is valued.  Free elections are held.  Decisions are based on majority rule..  All candidates can express their views freely. Citizens vote by secret ballot.

Your turn: Draw a diagram showing the three types of government and ways that citizens participate in each.

Two forms of representative democracy #1 Parliamentary Democracy: Voters elect members to Parliament. It has two Houses:

 House of Commons: Political party with the most votes in the House of Commons chooses the Prime Minister----the government’s leader with no set length of term.  House of Lords: Little power with most members being nobles having inherited their titles  Prime Minister is a part of two branches---legislative and executive. This is a very powerful job.  Often times, a parliamentary democracy has a constitutional monarch. Kings, queens, or emperors share power with elected legislatures. Generally, the constitutional monarchs are nothing more than figureheads. The government is a democracy that limits the monarch’s power. Example: Great Britain 

#2 Presidential Democracy:

 Voters elect legislators.  Voters elect (indirectly) the president.  Voters have a direct say about those who serve in two branches of the government------executive and legislative.  The President is a part of the executive branch only.

TASK: Draw diagram from slide 15 showing how the leaders are elected in these two forms of representative democracies.

Whew!! You made it this far. Now, on to the second question that must be answered: 1. How is the power distributed? (Who has the power?)

There are three ways governments distribute power:

 Unitary o Federal  Confederation

#1 Unitary One central government controls everything. Power is not shared between states, counties or provinces. Examples: France, the Netherlands, and Spain

#2 Federal Power is shared by a powerful central government with the states or provinces. Examples: United States, Germany

#3 Confederation** A voluntary association of independent states that agrees to join together for a common purpose. Nations can choose to follow the lead of the central government. Examples: European Union