Chapter 1 Content Statement

Content Statement 5

As the supreme law of the land, the U.S. Constitution

incorporates basic principles that help define the

government of the United States as a federal republic

including its structure, powers and relationship with

the governed.

Content Elaborations:

Basic principles which help define the government of the

United States include but are not limited to popular

sovereignty, limited government, federalism, separation of

powers, and checks and balances.

Chapter 1-2 vocab p. 14

Monarchy

Dictatorship

Oligarchy

Direct democracy

Republic

Unitary system

Federal system

Confederal system

Presidential system

Parliamentary system

Chapter 1-2 vocab p. 14

Monarchy: a form of government in which political power is exercised by a single ruler, such as a

king or a queen, who exercises absolute authority under the claim of divine or hereditary right.

Dictatorship: a system of rule in which one person, a dictator, or a small group of people can hold

unlimited power over government, which is usually controlled by force.

Oligarchy: rule by a few small groups of people, usually member of the military or the economic

elite.

Direct democracy: a form of government in which citizens met regularly in a popular assembly to

discus issues of the day, pass laws, and vote for leaders.

Republic: an indirect form of democracy in which people elect representatives to make decisions

on their behalf.

Unitary system: a form of government in which all authority is vested in a central government from

which regional and local governments derive their powers.

Federal system: a form of political organization in which power is divided among a central

government and territorial subdivisions; in the United States power is shared among the national,

state, and local governments.

Confederal system: an alliance of independent states manifesting a degree of national unity

through a central government of united powers (U.S. under Articles of Confederation).

Presidential system: a form of government headed by a president who is elected by the people

for a limited term of office and whose powers are balanced by an elected legislature.

Parliamentary system: a form of government in which the chief executive is the leader whose party

holds the most seats in the legislature after an election or whose party forma a major part of the

ruling coalition.

Reading Focus

• What are the classic forms of government?

• How is national power organized differently in unitary, federal,

and confederal systems?

• In what ways do presidential and parliamentary systems differ?

Main Idea

Different forms of governments are categorized based on who

exercises authority and how power is organized.

Forms of Government

The Power of Government

1. Monarchy

• Government is headed by one person

with supreme authority

• In absolute monarchy, powers are

unlimited and unchecked

• Autocratic government.

• Today, monarchies are rare. In Saudi

Arabia the royal family still hold ultimate

control.

• Constitutional monarchy most common

form today

– Monarch is ceremonial head of state

– Real power belongs to another part

of the government

– Great Britain, Spain, and Japan are

some examples.

Lord Acton “Power tends to corrupt

and absolute power tends to corrupt

absolutely.

2. Dictatorship

• One person, or a small group of people,

holds unlimited power

• Power is maintained by force

• Most dictators head authoritarian or

totalitarian regimes.

• Examples: Hitler, Stalin, Mao Zedong,

Kim Jong Il.

• Often gain power through force or

violently overthrowing the government.

• An oligarchy is led by a small group of

people

• Dictatorships can be secular or

theocracies

3.Democracy

• “Rule by the people”

• In a pure democracy, the people make major government decisions through a

process of majority rule.

• In a direct democracy, such as Athens, citizens meet regularly to discuss

issues and vote for leaders. Works best in small communities.

• Athens was actually an elite-based system.

• In a republic, the people elect representatives to make decisions on their

behalf.

• In a representative democracy, the people are the source of authority.

– Elected representatives closely follow the wishes of the people

– Elections are free and fair

– Everyone can participate equally in the political process

National power

• Consists of a number of smaller

administrative units

• Control can be centralized or spread

across geographic regions

5.Federal systems

• Divides power between a national

government and smaller regional

governments

• Levels act independently, but cannot

abolish or reorganize the other level

• Examples: United States

4.Unitary systems

• Sovereignty rests in a single, national

government with ultimate authority

• Has the power to change or abolish

local governments

• Examples: United Kingdom, France,

Japan.

6. Confederal systems

• Independent states join forces in a

central government

• States delegate limited powers to the

central government for common

interests. Rare form of government.

• Past Examples: Articles of

Confederation

• Present Examples: United Arab

Emirates, European Union.

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• Governments are formed through historical circumstances.

• Today most countries have some form of democratic government, either a

presidential system or a parliamentary system.

• President—Elected by the people for

a limited term of office

• Head of state and in charge of

executive branch.

• Deals with cabinet members, policy,

armed forces, foreign affairs, domestic

legislation

• Appoints cabinet members to deal

with bureaucracies.

• Powers checked by legislative branch

8.Presidential

• Most democracies modeled after British

system

• Executive and legislative combined

• Prime minister chosen by and from

parliament (elected legislature); member of

majority party

• Appoints cabinet members from majority

party

• If the prime minister ever loses support of

the majority party, he or she must resign

immediately along with the cabinet

members. New election is called

immediately.

9.Parliamentary

7.Presidents and Parliaments

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