Types of Government

Unit 1 Notes Continued

Types of Government

• Major Types of Government:• -Types of govt. are based on the question

“Who governs the state?”• 1. Autocracy- Power and authority to rule are

in the hands of a single individual.• -The oldest and most common form of

government.

Types of Government

• -Maintain power through ruthless use of military and police power.

• *One form of autocracy is totalitarian dictatorship. The single idea of a single leader or groups of leaders are glorified. The government seeks to control all aspect of government, political, and social life.

• Ex. The Nazis

Types of Government

• *Another form of autocracy is a monarch. A king or queen exercise supreme powers of government.

• -An Absolute monarch has unlimited power to rule the people.

• Ex. Saudi Arabia• *Constitutional Monarchy has the power

being shared with elected legislatures. EX. England

Types of Government

• 2.Oligarchy- system of govt. where a small group holds the power. Gains their power from wealth, military, power, and social position.

• Ex. China• -Such governments attempt to give the

appearance of control by people through elections. However there may only be one candidate.

Types of Government

• 3.Democracy-System of govt. in which rule is by the people.

• -We are considered a democracy because our constitution puts the power in the hands of the people.

• -Key idea people hold sovereign power.• -Practiced where the population is too large

to meet in one place.

Types of Government

• *One form is a republic-where voters hold the power by electing representatives who are responsible to the people and exercise power.

• -The U.S. is considered a representative democracy because the people are the ultimate source of power.

Characteristics of Democracy• Characteristics of Democracy• Individual Liberty- People are to be as free as possible

to develop their own success.• Majority Rule w/ Minority Rights-• -In a democracy the majority rule.• -People usually accept the decision b/c the majority

rule in free elections.• -Representative Democracy- laws enacted in the

legislature represent the will of the people. Since officials are elected by the people laws are accepted by the people.

Characteristics of Democracy

• Free Elections- Democracies are legitimate because they receive conscent from the governed.

• -All democracies have free and open elections.• Principles of Free Elections:• 1.One person one vote-everyone’s vote carries the

same weight.• 2.All candidates get to express ideas giving voters

access to competing ideas.• 3.Citizens are free to help support candidates or

support issues.

Characteristics of Democracy• 4.Legal requirements for voting (age, race, etc)

are kept to a minimum.• 5.Citizens may vote freely in secret ballots

without concern of punishment.• Competing Political Parties:• Political Party- A group of individuals with

common interests who organize to nominate officials for elected office.

• -Rival parties keep elections meaningful b/c voters have a choice in candidates.

Soil of Democracy

• The Soil of Democracy• Active Citizen participation- citizens are able to

inform themselves of the issues. Democracies are stronger in places where the citizens participate.

• A Favorable Economy- Democracy is more effective in places where there is not a large gap in wealth and has a strong middle class.

• -The power to control your own money provides a base for making your individual political decisions. In the U.S. this is called free enterprise.

Soil of Democracy• -Democracies with a strong economy are able to create a

stable government.• Wide Spread Education- Democracy is more likely to

succeed in countries with an educated public.• Strong Civil Society- a complex network of voluntary

associations, economic groups, religious organizations, etc. These groups are independent of the government. Ex. Human Society and Red Cross.

• -This makes the public aware of issues and provides a means for citizens to protect their rights.

• A Social Consensus- Where most people accept democratic values such as individual liberty and equality for all.