Forms of Government (From January 24)

Comparing Political Systems/Types of Government

 Although every country’s political system may operate differently, all political systems can be placed in two separate categories:  Democratic or Authoritarian.  Democratic systems are based on a limited form of government where the people consent to be governed and the government’s protection of individual rights; these systems include:  Direct Democracy, Representative Democracy, and Constitutional Monarchy.  Authoritarian systems are unlimited forms of government where there are no limits on the power of the leader(s), power is usually taken and kept through the use of force, and individual rights are not protected; these systems include:  Absolute Monarchy, Oligarchy and Totalitarian Dictatorship.

 Authoritarian Governments:

   Absolute monarchy is rule by one person who claims power from inheritance which means it is passed down from one family member to another, or as God has picked them to rule. For thousands of years, rule by monarchs (kings or queens) was the common form of government.  The monarch is often the head of the state and of the official religion. Saudi Arabia and Jordan are both examples of absolute monarchs.

     Oligarchy means rule by the few. A small group governs the nation. Oligarchs may be military leaders, political party leaders, wealthy business owners or any other small group that gains control of government. In oligarchies, one individual may officially lead the country, but political power and decision making is in the hands of the group.  For example, in China today, there is a leader known as the Premier, however, the Communist Party actually runs the country.
     Dictatorship is rule by an individual who holds complete, or totalitarian, control over the government. Germany under Hitler, Italy under Mussolini, and Franco's Spain were dictatorships. In dictatorships, there may be some characteristics of democracy, but they are meaningless. Elections are faked, and citizens are required to vote without having any real choice between parties or leaders. Dictators usually surround themselves with loyal followers. The state and the dictator are one and the same. In some cases, a leader who originally represented an oligarchy becomes a dictator when he or she gains enough personal power to be unchallenged. Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union and Mao Zedong of China became dictators when they gained total control of the Communist parties that put them in power.  Current examples include Kim Jong Un of North Korea, and Raul Castro of Cuba.
Democratic Governments:
     Direct democracy exists when the citizens vote directly on government decisions.  In this system, the majority vote of the citizens determines all government decisions.  Direct democracy is still practiced in some small New England towns as well as in certain Swiss cantons (counties). Elements of direct democracy are also found in states where citizens can propose, or start legislation.  
     Representative Democracy is the more usual form of democratic government today. In this system, elected legislators represent the people in making laws and deciding public issues. These lawmakers are responsible to the people and may be removed from office through regular elections. A government in which people elect representatives is known as a republic. This is the system that we use in the United States.  Voters select through elections who they wish to represent them at each level of government.
Constitutional Monarchy is the limited type of Monarchy where the ruler’s power is limited by a Constitution.  The ruler usually has to consult an elected assembly of the people or religious leaders.  This type of government evolved in England.  Starting with the Magna Carta, the English monarch’s power has been limited.  Overtime a representative assembly evolved and gained power over the Monarch.  Today, England’s monarch has little power; most power resides in the elected body known as Parliament.

Summarizing Political Systems/Types of Government

Directions:  Using the information provided, complete the chart below.

DEMOCRATIC	Form of Government	What is it?	Advantages	Disadvantages
	Direct Democracy
	Representative Democracy
	Constitutional Monarchy
.

FORMS OF GOVERNMENT

Directions:  Read the information below and complete the activities that follow.


There are three basic forms of government that characterize the way power is distributed or divided within a country:  unitary, federal and confederate.  A country's size often influences how it divides political power. In large countries, like the United States, Canada, Australia, and Russia, power is shared between the central government and the governments of its regions:  states, provinces or republics. This sharing of power is called a Federal System.

Many small countries, such as England, France and other European countries have Unitary Systems of government in which the central government exercises most political power. 
Often small countries or political areas (states, regions, provinces) will ally (become friends) with one another for the purpose of group defense and trade.  This alliance form of government is known as a confederate system.  In this system each political area or country remains independent or sovereign, but agrees to give up some power to a national government to protect them and promote trade.
The United States has experienced all three systems of government in our history.  As a colony under King George III, the United States (or at that time American Colonies) had a unitary system of government.  In this system the King and Parliament in Britain made decisions for the colonies.  Although the colonists had representative assemblies, their power was limited by the King and Parliament.  Royal Governors were appointed by the king, not elected by the colonists. 
When the United States first broke from Great Britain a representative democracy was created based on the confederate system.  Under this system of government there was a weak national government for the purpose of national defense, dealing with foreign countries and promoting trade, and strong state governments that were responsible for making most of the government decisions.  The national government did not have the power to tax, enforce laws or settle disagreements between the states.  This caused many problems because the states acted in their own best interest and often had conflicts with one another.  Trade became difficult because of a difference in tariffs (taxes on imported goods), different currencies (money), and state laws; this caused the economy to break down.  A meeting of state delegates was held in Annapolis, Maryland to try and fix the problem; however, the group decided that a new Constitution needed to be written. 
In 1783 delegates met in Philadelphia to create this new Constitution; a federal system was created to distribute power between the states and national government.  The federal system provided for power to be shared between the national and state governments, with the national government having supremacy (power) over the states.  The national government was given more power than it had under the confederate system, including the power to tax.  Many states were unhappy with the federal system; afraid that the federal (national) government would become too powerful.

Applying Forms of Government

Directions:  Using the information from the previous page complete the chart below.

Form of Government/Description	Advantages	Disadvantages

Directions:  Identify the form of Government for each of the following characteristics; write the correct term in the space provided. 

1.         ____________________________ Strong central government makes all decisions

2.         ____________________________ Loose alliance of states

3.         ____________________________ Power is shared between national and state governments

4.         ____________________________ Often authoritarian

5.         ____________________________ Weak or no central government

6.         ____________________________ Created mostly for trade and defense purposes

7.         ____________________________ Absolute monarchies

8.         ____________________________ Representative Democracies

9.         ____________________________ Head of state has complete control over the military

10.        ____________________________ Most power is retained (kept) by the states

11.        ____________________________ The colonies under the rule of King George III

12.        ____________________________ The newly free United States under the Articles of Confederation

13.        ____________________________ The United States as it exists under the Constitution

14.        ____________________________ Decision making process is very quick

15.        ____________________________ Can be very unstable