Forms of Government

Defining GovernmentsThere are three ways to define a

government:1) geographic distribution of power

2) the relationship between the legislature and the executive branches

3) the number of people who can participate in government

Geographic DistributionThere are three types of government that

can be defined using geographic distribution of power.

1) Unitary: power is held by a central government

2) Federal: power is divided between states and a central government

3) Confederate: an alliance of independent states, central government has few powers

Executive and LegislativeThe relationship between these two branches

can also be used to define governments: 1) presidential: power is separated between

the two branches, they are independent and equal

2) parliamentary: executive is made up of a Prime Minister who is part of the parliament and is the leader of the majority party

Israel – The government of Israel is a parliamentary democracy.

Knesset vs. President

The Number of ParticipantsParticipation in government comes in

two forms:1) authoritarian/dictatorship: rulers are not held responsible to public opinion, not accountable for their actions

2) democracy: political authority comes from the people, leaders are held responsible, they are elected

Autocratic

Also known as dictatorshipsLeaders are usually authoritarian

which means that leaders have absolute and unchallengeable authority over the people

Totalitarianism means that a government has almost total control over every aspect of people’s lives

DictatorshipsDictatorships will often have elections and

legislatures, but the results are controlled. People are only given an illusion of choice.

Dictatorships also tend to be very militaristic which means that they use violence to control the population. They also tend to be aggressive towards their neighbors.

Oligarchy

a form of government where political power rests with a small elite segment of society based on wealth, family or military power

DemocracyDemocracy can be either direct or

indirect. 1) Direct democracy occurs when people

meet and vote regularly to make decisions. All decisions are made by popular vote.

2) Indirect democracy is also known as representative democracy.

Representative Democracy

A small group of leaders are chosen by the people to act as their representatives.

Leaders are held accountable by regularly scheduled elections.

Republic vs. Democracy

Many people have debated whether the U.S. is a republic or a democracy

Many Americans consider the U.S. to be a true democracy, but we do not vote in order to make governmental decisions. Our representatives do that for us.

Monarchy & Theocracy

Monarchy – a government with an hereditary ruler.Saudi Arabia has a monarchy.Saudi Arabia is ruled by the Saud family.

Theocracy – a government ruled by a religious leader. The Islamic Republic of Iran is a good

example of a theocracy.

Queen of England vs. King of Saudi Arabia

Queen Elizabeth II King Abdullah

Islamic Republic of Iran (Theocracy)

President Ahmadinejad Ayatollah Khomeini