What is government???
 When people decide to form the social contracts we
call government they make many different decisions
about what their government will look and be like.
Who has the power and who gets
to participate?
 Who has the power?
 Who gets to
 How is power distributed
within a:
 Unitary
 Confederation
 Federal




participate?
What is the role of a
citizen in the various
types of government?
Autocratic
Oligarchic
Democratic
Major types of governments
 Anarchy
 Communist
 Republic
 Democracy
 Dictatorship
 Monarchy
What does it mean…
Part of Word
Meaning
Arch
Root
Chief, most important
Mon-(mono)
Prefix
One, single
-cracy
Suffix
Rule or government by
Theo-
Prefix
God
Demo-
Prefix
People
-cratic
Suffix
A person who takes part
in government
Auto-
Prefix
Self
Olig- from the Greek
Oligos
Prefix
A few or a little
This + That =
Put it all together
meaning
Monarchy
Mon + arch
Single + chief/ruler
Democracy
Demo + cracy
Government by the
people
Theocracy
Theo + cracy
Rule by god
Oligarchy
Olig + arch
Government by a few
Anarchy
 There is NO government
 This can happen after a civil war in a country,
when a government has been destroyed and rival
groups are fighting to take its place.
 Anarchists are people who believe that
government is a bad thing in that it stops people
organizing their own lives.
 Example: Rwanda during the 1994 genocide.
Communist
 A system of government in which the state
controls the economy.
 A single party holds all the power
 Head is usually a dictator.
 Citizens have no rights or voice in
government. They are often even told where to
work and how much to get paid.
 Examples: Russia prior to 1990, China today
Republic
 A form of government in which people
rule through elected representatives.
 Citizens have a very active role in
government through elections and help
to make governmental decisions.
 Examples: USA
Democracy
 Any form of government in which
political power is exercised by all
citizens either directly or through
their elected representatives.
 There are two types of democracy:
 Parliamentary and Presidential
 The main difference between the two is the
relationship between the legislative and
executive branches.
Parliamentary Democracy
 The legislature, parliament, controls the power.
 Parliament is made up of representatives
(elected by the people).
 Prime Minister (head of government) is chosen
by the majority party within the legislature and
answers to the legislature (fusion of power).
 Israel is an example of a Parliamentary
Democracy.
Presidential Democracy
 Executive and legislative branches are
separate bodies elected by
citizens(separation of powers).
 There are checks and balances where each
can overrule the other.
 The president is elected by and answers to
the voter not the legislature.
Difference between Democracy and a
Republic…
 A republic is a representative form of government that
is ruled according to a charter, or constitution.
 Democracy is a government that is ruled according to
the will of the majority (more than 50 percent).
 The main difference between a republic and a
democracy is the charter or constitution that limits
the power of the republic, often to protect the
individual’s rights against the desires of the majority.
In a true democracy, the majority rules in all cases,
regardless of any consequences for individuals or for
those who are not the majority on an issue.
Autocracy
 A form of government in which
political power is controlled by one
individual such as a monarch,
dictator, or emperor, etc.
Monarchy
 Ruled by kings, queens, princes, princesses…sometimes




by other names but always MONARCHS!!!
Two types
Absolute: example – Saudi Arabia (very rare to have an
absolute monarchy today).
Constitutional: example – Bahrain. A system of
government in which the power is shared between the
monarchy and an elected branch of government.
Head of the government is usually the head of the elected
branch…usually the monarch serves a more symbolic role.
Dictatorship
 In a dictatorship, power is not inherited, but is
acquired by force (military or political).
 Dictators have absolute control over the lives of their
citizens and usually people are not allowed to voice
their negative opinions.
 North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, is considered a
dictator.
Oligarchy
 “Rule by a few”
 Power can be based on several things:
 Military strength = military junta
 Family power = Aristocracy
 Religious control = Theocratic Oligarchy
 Oligarchies can often come from or lead to
other forms of government (like
autocracies).
Theocracy
 “Theo” means “god” in Greek… so if a government is
THEO-cratic that means it is rule by… A god or higher
power.
 Leaders (autocratic or oligarchic) are usually religious
leaders and society uses religious law to settle its
disputes.
 Example: The Islamic Republic of Iran is a modern
theocracy that uses the holy Islamic book, the Qur’an,
as its guide.