Government

What is Government?

• System by which a state, country or territory is ruled.

What are the different forms of Government?

• Democracy• Absolute Monarchy• Constitutional Monarchy• Dictatorship• Communism• Theocracy• Oligarchy

Democracy• A government ruled by the people• Two Types–Direct – People vote directly for laws and

leaders–Representative (republic)– People vote for

representatives who then vote for the laws• Draw a picture representing Democracy

Democracy• History/Origin– 6th Century BC in Ancient Greece– “Demos” = people– “Kratein” = to rule

• Current Democracies – United States– Germany– Brazil– Ethiopia– Austria

Locate the above countries using an atlas, label, and color blue

Absolute Monarchy• Ruled by a Monarch (King, Queen, Emperor,

Empress) with unlimited power.• Power is passed down to the next generationCreate an image representing Absolute

Monarchy

Absolute Monarchy• History/Origin– Increased popularity in Europe in the 1600 & 1700s– Famous Monarchs

• King Louis XVI of France• Emperor Meiji of Japan• Queen Elizabeth I of England

• Current Absolute Monarchies– Saudi Arabia– Qatar– Swaziland– Oman

Locate the above countries using an atlas, label, and color Purple

Constitutional Monarchy• Ruled by a Monarch but their powers are

limited by a constitution (laws) or they simply fulfill a ceremonial role without power

• The Monarch is below the law.• The title is still passed down to the next

generationCreate an image representing Constitutional

Monarchy

Constitutional Monarchy• History/Origin– The Glorious Revolution pushed Great Britain’s

transition to a Constitutional Monarchy in the late 17th Century

• Current Constitutional Monarchies– Belgium– Denmark– Jordan– Morocco– Norway– Lesotho

Locate the above countries using an atlas, label, and color Orange

Dictatorship• A government ruled by one person (dictator)

who has all the power• They are above the lawCreate an image representing Dictatorship

Dictatorship• History/Origin– Dictators were originally used in Ancient Rome to

temporarily control a rebellion or chaotic society– Once under control the dictator would step down

• Current Dictatorships– North Korea– Sudan– Zimbabwe– Belarus– Syria

Locate the above countries using an atlas, label, and color Green

Communism• Managed by a single party that controls the

economy• No private ownership of property• In a perfect communist society all goods are

equally sharedCreate an image representing Communism

Communism• History/Origins– The idea of Communism was written by Karl Marx and

Friedrich Engels in “The Communist Manifesto“ in 1848

• Current Communist Countries– China– North Korea– Cuba– Laos– Vietnam

Locate the above countries using an atlas, label, and color Red

Theocracy• A deity (god) is viewed as the ultimate ruler• The law is usually taken from a religious book

such as the Bible, Torah, or Qu’ran• The leader is usually a religious leaderCreate an image representing Theocracy

Theocracy• History/Origins– Ancient Egypt was ruled by a Theocracy– Pharaohs were often seen as being gods

• Current Theocracies– Iran– Vatican City

Locate the above countries using an atlas, label, and color Yellow

Oligarchy

• Ruled by a small group (wealthy, royal, family, military or race)

• History/Origin– Many city-states in Ancient Greece were

Oligarchies– Sparta was an Oligarchy

• Current Oligarchy– South Africa until 1994