ecogov: 1.2 forms of government

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1.2 FORMS OF GOVERNMENTTEXTBOOK PAGE 12

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AMERICAN HISTORY IIMR. HOOD02 SEPTEMBER 2013

1.2 FORMS OF GOVERNMENT

AMERICAN HISTORY IIMR. HOOD`S NOTES02 SEPTEMBER 2013

WHY IT MATTERS

GOVERNMENTS COME IN MANY DIFFERENT FORMS – DEMOCRATIC OR DICTATORIAL, UNITARY OR FEDERAL OR CONFEDERATE, PRESIDENTIAL OR PARLIAMENTARY. BUT,

WHATEVER ITS FORM, GOVERNMENT HAS AN IMPACT ON NEARLY EVERY MOMENT

AND NEARLY EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE.

INTRODUCTION

DOES IT MATTER WHAT FORM A GOVERNMENT

TAKES?

YOU CAN FORM YOUR OWN OPINION AS YOU READ THIS

SECTION

OBJECTIVE 1CLASSIFY GOVERNMENTS

ACCORDING TO THREE SETS OF

CHARACTERISTICS

NO TWO GOVERNMENTS

ARE EXACTLY ALIKE

GOVERNMENTS ARE PRODUCTS OF HUMAN NEEDS +

EXPERIENCES

HOW DO WE CLASSIFY A G O V E R N M E N

T ?

(1) WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

(2) GEOGRPAHIC DISTRIBUTION OF POWER

WITHIN STATE

(3) RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEGISLATIVE +

EXECUTIVE BRANCHES

OBJECTIVE 2DEFINE SYSTEMS OF

GOVERNMENT BASED ON WHO CAN PARTICIPATE

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

DEMOCRACY

DEMOCRACY: SUPREME POLITICAL AUTHORITY RESTS

WITH THE PEOPLE

THE PEOPLE HOLD

SOVEREIGN POWER

GOVERNMENT CONDUCTED WITH CONSENT

OF THE PEOPLE

TWO TYPES OF DEMOCRACY

DIRECT OR INDIRECT

DIRECT DEMOCRACY:PEOPLE REPRESENT

THEMSELVES

INDIRECT DEMOCRACY: REPRESENTATIVE

DEMOCRACY

SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE ARE CHOSEN TO EXPRESS

POPULAR WILL

IN A DEMOCRACY THE PEOPLE ARE SOVEREIGN

IN OTHER WORDS,

THE PEOPLE RULE

DICTATORSHIP

THOSE WHO RULE CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE TO WILL OF

PEOPLE

GOVERNMENT IS NOT ACCOUNTABLE FOR ITS

ACTIONS

NOR FOR HOW THEY ARE CARRIED

OUT

OLDEST, MOST COMMON FORM OF

GOVERNMENT

TWO TYPES OF DICTATORSHIP

AUTOCRACY + OLIGARCHY

AUTOCRACY: SINGLE PERSON HOLDS

UNLIMITED POWER

OLIGARCHY: POWER HELD BY SMALL, SELF-APPOINTED

ELITE

ALL DICTATORSHIPS ARE A U T H O

R I T A R I A N

MODERN DICTATORSHIPS

ARE TOTALITARIAN

DICTATORSHIPS ARE MILITARISTIC IN

NATURE

THEY USUALLY GAIN

POWER BY FORCE

OBJECTIVE 3IDENTIFY DIFFERENT

WAYS THAT POWER CAN BE DISTRIBUTED,

GEOGRAPHICALLY, WITHIN A STATE

THE POWER TO GOVERN IS LOCATED IN ONE OR MORE

PLACES

(1) UNITARY GOVERNMENT

CENTRALIZED GOVERNMENT

SINGLE, CENTRAL AGENCY

UNITARY GOVERNMENT EXAMPLE:

G R E A T B R I T A I N

(2) FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

POWERS DIVIDED BETWEEN CENTRAL +

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

A DIVISION OF POWERS

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EXAMPLE:

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

(3) CONFEDERATE GOVERNMENT

ALLIANCE OF INDEPENDENT STATES

POWER TO HANDLE THOSE MATTERS THAT STATES

ASSIGN TO IT

CONFEDERATE GOVERNMENT EXAMPLE:

EUROPEAN UNION OR USA (CIVIL WAR)

OBJECTIVE 4DESCRIBE A

GOVERNMENT BY HOW POWER IS DISTRIBUTED

BETWEEN THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH AND

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

(1) PRESIDENTIAL GOVERNMENT

VOTERS ELECT LEGISLATIVE +

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

EXECUTIVE + LEGISLATIVE BRANCHES

ARE SEPERATE

(2) PARLIAMENTARY GOVERNMENT

VOTERS ELECT LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH APPOINTS EXECUTIVE BRANCH