Types of Government
The Evolution of Government Rule
from One to Many
Autocracy: The First
Government
This is the oldest and
most common type of
government rule.
► Often the leader comes to
power by inheritance or
through military
conquest.
► Many of the ancient world
empires ruled through an
autocracy, including
Babylon, Egypt, and
Persia.
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Autocracy
An autocracy is “rule by
one.”
► The gov’t seeks to control all
aspects of economic and
social control of life.
► Current autocracies include
North Korea, Cuba, and
many North African states.
► This type of government is
the easiest to begin a state
with and make decisions.
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Leaders in an Autocracy
► Totalitarian
Muammar Khadafi former leader of Libya
King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia
dictator – the
leader’s ideas become the
center of the state. Rules
by force. Many dictators
can still be found in Africa.
► Absolute monarch – rules
with absolute power given
to them by a superior
power. Most monarchies
are found in the Middle
East.
Ancient China Ruled by the Warlords
and Nobles
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Ancient China was neither ruled
by one person or ruled by the
people because its’ large land
mass made it too difficult to
control.
Instead, warlords and the
wealthy ruled China in smaller
regions.
These states often are led by
people that either wealthy or
violent.
Oligarchy
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An oligarchy is “rule by a
few.”
This group may obtain
their power from their
wealth, military power,
social position, or, more
commonly, their political
party.
Many of these types of
governments are found
throughout Asia.
Oligarchic Rule
► Oligarchies
claim their rule
“for the people.”
► To show that they are for
the people, they often hold
elections or have a
legislative branch of their
government.
► Often, oligarchies suppress
all political opposition.
Theocracy
The idea for theocracy began during
the religious Reformation in Europe.
► John Calvin believed that God
should be the center of a persons
life and that the Church and the
religious leaders should fulfill that
role.
► Calvinists created a theocracy in
Geneva, Switzerland based on his
political ideas given by God.
► Calvin would use the Bible to
answer the political questions of
society.
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Who Rules in a Theocracy
A theocracy is “rule by God” or
religious leaders.
► This type of leadership gains its
authority from religious texts
(Bible / Koran).
► Iran is ruled by the Ayatollahs or
Muslim clerics. They make the
spiritual and political decisions for
Iran though everyday decisions is
given to the President.
► If the two views conflict, the
Ayatollahs authority is supreme.
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Power of God
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Ayatollah Khamenei
President Ahmadinejad
Iranian crowd supporting former Ayatollah Khomenei
Theocracies have a
great deal of power
because of the religious
beliefs and loyalties of
the people it governs.
The government does
not have to show force
over the people
because they fear a
deity more than any
man.
Athenians Become Democratic
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A leader of ancient Athens,
Pericles decided to change power
from one to the many.
Pericles declared, “Our
constitution is named a
democracy because it is in the
hands not of the few, but of the
many.”
He believed that every man had a
stake in the success of Athens and
therefore, should be involved in
every decision that affected the
state.
Democracy
► Democracy
is “rule by
the people.”
► The most important
part of a democracy is
that the people are
sovereign.
► Abraham Lincoln said
democracy is “of the
people, by the people,
and for the people.”
The Direct Democracy
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In a direct democracy, the
people vote directly on issues.
In Athens, men would cast a
white stone for agreement with
a decision or a black stone for
disagreement. The majority of
stones would determine the
outcome.
In a bit of irony, Pericles was
banished from Athens by a
majority vote.
There are no direct democracies
known today. Why do you think
that is?
Ancient Rome Expands on the
Greek Idea of Democracy
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Wanting to continue with a democratic rule, Romans felt that their
state was too large to control through a direct democracy.
Instead they turn to a representative democracy, where Roman
wealthy and influential Roman citizens would become Roman Senators
to represent the ideas of the people in their spheres of influence.
This Roman Republic was brought together to make decisions more
quickly and thoroughly.
Life Stinks…
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Thomas Hobbes viewed man
as self-centered and evil at
heart.
Without some rules and
government control, man
would cease to exist.
Man would have to give up
control of his own actions to
save his interests and create a
better life.
This is the known as the social
contract.
Life is “…nasty, brutish, and short.”
Power Belongs to the People
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John Locke wrote “Two
Treatises of Civil
Government.”
While the people give up
their personal power to be
governed, Locke believed
that all men have rights that
cannot be taken away from
them no matter what.
These natural rights include
the rights to life, liberty, and
property.
The government does not
have the power to infringe on
these freedoms.
Power Is Shared Between the
People and Government
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John Jacques Rousseau wrote “The
Social Contract.”
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At the foundation of his thought on
government and authority is the idea of the
"social contract," in which
government and authority enter
a contract which implies that
the people agree to be ruled
only so that their rights,
property and happiness be
protected by their rulers. Once
rulers cease to protect the ruled, the social
contract is broken and the people are free to
choose another type of government.
The Modern Democracy
Unlike the Romans, modern
democracies are represented
by the common man and not
the wealthy or better
educated.
► This is a better reflection of
the common man’s voices to
be heard on an even larger
scale.
► Modern representative
democracies include Canada,
England, and the U.S.
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