Forms of Governments

SS.7.C.3.1- Compare different forms of government (direct democracy, representative democracy, socialism, communism, monarchy,

oligarchy, autocracy).

SS.7.C.3.2- Compare parliamentary, federal, confederal, and unitary systems of

government.

I. By the People

A. Direct Democracy

i. also known as pure democracy

ii. is a form of democracy in which people decide (e.g. vote on, form consensus on) policy initiatives directly.

B. Representative Democracy (Republic)

i. also known as indirect democracy

ii. a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.

iii. Law rules

C. Constitutional Monarchy

i. In all monarchies, the ruling position is passed on to the ruler’s heirs/ family members.

ii. A Constitutional Monarchy, like the UK, also has a democratic government that limits the monarch's control.

iii.A Monarch is a king, queen, emperor or empress

ConstitutionalMonarchy

II. By a Few

A. Oligarchy

i. A government in which a few people such as a dominant clan or clique have power.

C. Totalitarian

i. This is a country with only one political party.

ii. People are forced to do what the government tells them and may also be prevented from leaving the country.

• Also known as an autocracy

III. AutocracyGovernment by a single person having

unlimited power; despotism (domination through threat of

punishment and violence).

A. Absolute Monarchy

i. Traditional monarchy

ii. The monarch has absolute power.

A. Absolute Monarchy

B. Dictatorship

i. A country ruled by a single leader. The leader has not been elected and may use force to keep control.

ii. In a military dictatorship, the army is in control.

IV. I Want Change

And I want it NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

A. Revolutionary

i. If a government is overthrown by force, the new ruling group is sometimes called a revolutionary government.

B. Anarchyi. Anarchy is a situation where there is no

government.

ii. This can happen after a civil war in a country, when a government has been destroyed and rival groups are fighting to take its place.

iii. Anarchists are people who believe that government is a bad thing in that it stops people organizing their own lives.

V. Ideas for Government

A. Capitalism

i. an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.

B. Socialism

i. An economic and political system where the workers control the means of production, such as machinery or farmland, instead of their bosses.

ii. Socialism means total state or collective ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership.

iii. All choices are up to the individual. (examples-education, religion, employment)

C. Communism

i. Ideally, there is no leader; the people govern directly. This has never been actually practiced, and has just used a one-party system. 

ii. In a communist country, the government owns property such as businesses and farms.

VideosForms of Government

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdh9xo47OWM

Systems of Government

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL6eGwP0JTg

Systems of Government

How do governments distribute power?

I. Unitary-

A. A system in which the power is held by one central authority. One branch of government

II. Confederal

A. A system in which power is shared by an alliance of union of political organizations. Independent states voluntarily work together for some common purpose and agree to certain limits on their freedom of action as a confederation.

II. Confederal

III. Federal-

A. Powers to make laws and decisions are SHARED between the central government and states

IV. Parliamentary-

A. A system in which the executive branch derives its democratic legitimacy from, and is held accountable to, the legislature (parliament); the executive and legislative branches are thus interconnected.

B. In a parliamentary system, the head of state is normally a different person from the head of government.

IV. Parliamentary-