The types of governmentsAutocratic, Oligarchic, Democratic

(Presidential & Parliamentary)Unitary, Confederation, and Federal

Autocratic- a single ruler has unlimited power. The people have no participation in the government

Oligarchic- a few people or small group have complete control of the government. The citizens have a very limited role in the government, if any.

In oligarchies a small group has control. Communist countries are mostly oligarchies.

Democratic- a government in which the power is held by the people usually through a system of representation involving elections.

Two main forms of democratic governments

• 1. Parliamentary- citizens elect members of Parliament ( the legislature) who then choose one of their members to become the prime minister (executive) or head of government.

• The prime minister is a member of the legislature.

• Parliamentary democracies are the most common form of democracy.

• Canada, Australia, U.K., and Germany are all parliamentary democracies.

Parliamentary democracies (cont.)

• Many countries with parliamentary governments also have a king or queen as the official head of state. • Ex. United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia all

have parliamentary governments, but the official head of state is the Queen of England.

• The Queen of England in these countries is only a symbolic figure and has no real power. This type of govt. is called a constitutional monarchy.

• A constitutional monarchy limits the power of the monarch. (they have little if any power)

2. Presidential Democracies

• In a Presidential system, citizens directly elect a president as the head of government and the head of state.

• The President (executive) is independent of the legislature. (The president is not a member of the legislature.)

• Ex: The United States, Mexico, and Brazil have presidential democracies.

Citizens elect lawmakers

Leader heads the military and runs the government

Parliamentary SystemParliamentary System Presidential SystemPresidential System

How governments distribute power

(The structure of the government)

• There are three main ways that governments are organized to spread their power.

• 1. Unitary• 2. Confederation• 3. Federal

Unitary- power is held by one central government or authority. The central government assigns powers and duties to smaller units of government within the country.

The United Kingdom has a unitary form of government.

Confederation- a voluntary association of independent countries or states formed to secure a common goal. This type of government is rare in today’s world (normally formed for a short period

of time during times of war or crisis)

• Unitary governments and confederate governments are opposite in terms of distribution of power. In Unitary governments all key powers are held by the central government. In a confederation, the states/ regional governments hold most of the power creating a much weaker central government.

Federal/ Federation- power is divided or shared between one

central and several regional authorities (or governments).

The U.S., Canada, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, and Russia have a federal government. Some powers are held by the central government, and some powers are held by the regional governments, the states or provinces.

Federal Governments

The U.S. Capitol Building in Washington D.C. is where the U.S Congress or the Federal Government makes laws. Each state also has a capital city and state legislature. Therefore, the power is divided between the one central and the several regional authorities.