Government Forms
Quick Discussion
• Write you answer down quickly in your Geography notebook – be
ready to discuss in 3 to 5 minutes!
In your opinion, which one of the following people or groups should
have the power to make the rules at your school, and why?
• principal
• teachers
• student council
• student body
• other (specify)
Are there any people or groups above that should not make the rules
at your school? If so, why not?
Forms of Government
• Which type of government do you think you
chose for your school?
• Why do you think you chose that type of
government or rule system?
• Why is yours the best way to make the
decisions?
• Could/would you change your mind?
Monarchy
• Rule by a king, queen, or emperor
• Absolute Monarchy - A form of government
where a single ruler is in charge and has supreme
power. That ruler obtained power through either
heredity or divine right. Ex: Saudi Arabia
• Constitutional Monarchy – a limited monarchy,
the rulers power is limited and defined by a
constitution. Ex: England
Dictatorship
• A system of government in which a single
person or group has supreme power; the
power usually come from the ruthless use of
the military and police. Ex: North Korea
Theocracy
• A system of government where laws are based
off religion and the government leaders and
religious leaders are the same. Ex: Iran
Democracy
• Rule by many, the people usually express that rule through voting,
either by ballot or in a general assembly
• Direct Democracy – a system of government where people make all
the decisions for themselves by voting on every issue. Ex: small
town governments
• Representative Democracy – a system of government where
people vote for representatives to make the decisions for them
– Parliamentary Democracy – voters elect lawmakers to represent them
in the nations parliament; the leaders of the executive branch come
from the majority political party in parliament. Ex: Canada
– Presidential Democracy – voters elects lawmakers to represent them
in the legislature. A president leads the government as the head
executive. The president in this system is elected by the electoral
college. Ex: USA
Processing
• Imagine that you are advising a country that is
creating a new constitution.
• Below are some priorities that the country is
concerned about when it comes time to choose
their government/economy.
• For each possible priority, identify a combination
of government/economy that would be the most
effective.
• Write a sentence to support why your answer
works. Be prepared to be called on to discuss
your answer in class. 3-5 minutes. Go!
Form of government
Economic system
Efficiency =
_______________________ + _______________________
Freedom =
_______________________ + _______________________
Prosperity = _______________________ + _______________________
Equality =
_______________________ + _______________________
Security =
_______________________ + _______________________