Types of Government

Types of government define who rules and who participates

There are three types of governments:

1. Autocracy: Rule by one

2. Oligarchy: Rule by few

3. Democracy: Rule by all • Forms: Direct and Representative• Methods: Parliamentary and Presidential

Governments distribute power through systems.

A. Unitary• All decisions and power held at a central level

B. Federal• Decisions and power split between national and

state or provincial governments

Autocracy

• Government in which the power to govern is held by one person.

• Generally the power to rule is inherited or taken by military force.

There are three types of autocratic government.

1. Dictatorships

2. Absolute Monarchies

3. Constitutional Monarchies

Dictatorship

• A dictatorship consists of rule by one person or a group of people often taken by force.

• Very few dictators admit they are dictators and almost always claim to be leaders of democracies

Dictatorship

• Description• A leader has total

power

• Examples include:

• Cuba (Castro) & North Korea (Kim Jong Il) .

Monarchy

A monarchy consists of rule by a king/queen or “emperor”.

1. Absolute

2. Constitutional

Absolute Monarchy

• King or Queen holds all of the power to make laws and govern)

• Example• Louis XIV in France during the 1700s

Constitutional Monarchy

• King/Queen has power that is limited by a set of rules called a constitution) and shares power with elected officials

• ExamplePresent day England

Oligarchy• When a family or small group of

people control all of the power to govern and make laws

• The group gets their power from either military, wealth or social status.

• Elections may be held but offer only one candidate.

• Examples• China

• Only one party (communist) allowed

Theocracy

• type of oligarchy where religious leaders govern

• Example• Iran

Democracy

• “Democracy” literally means “rule by the people.”

• In a democracy, the people govern – by voting.

Kinds of democracies

1. Direct Democracy

2. Representative Democracy

Direct Democracy

• Description• The power of government is controlled directly

by the people• Everyone votes on every issue

Example:In some American states, town meetings are held where every citizen votes by publicly proclaiming their vote.

• Direct democracy is impossible in a political system containing more than a few people.

• In a representative democracy, delegates are selected by the people through a defined process to make and enforce laws.

Representative Democracy

• The people elect representatives who then make decisions for them

Example:

Canada, United States

Forms of Representative Democracy

1. Parliamentary

2. Presidential

Parliamentary Democracy

• Voters elect members to a Parliament (legislature)

• Example: Canada, Britain,

• Parliaments are bicameral in that they have two houses where decisions are made

1. House of Commons• The political party with the most elected

members in the House of Commons forms the government. The leader of that party becomes the Prime Minister.

2. Senate or House of Lords• Elected government chooses people to

govern in the senate.

Parliamentary Democracy

Presidential Democracy

• Voters elect legislators and also elect, directly or indirectly, the President.

In a presidential system, voters have a more direct say about who will serve as President

Parliamentary System

Presidential System

Executive Legislative

CitizensCitizens

Legislative

Executive

Elect

Elect

Select

Elect

Canada’s form of government can be described as

A constitutional monarchy characterized

by a federation of provinces that operate

within a democratic parliamentary system.

• Question: What is the most important aspect of Government? • Example: the way power is handled, the means by

which it relates to the public, international policy, stance on religion, etc.

• Question: What is the most effective structure of government and why?• Direct democracy, Representative Democracy,

Parliamentary Democracy, Presidential Democracy, Oligarchy, Theocracy, Authoritarian, Totalitarian.