Government
Ways Gov’ts Share Power
Unitary
Confederation
Federal
Definition:
Definition:
Definition:
Characteristics:
Characteristics:
Characteristics:
Examples:
Examples:
Examples:
Unitary
Confederation
Federal
Picture:
Picture:
Picture:
What do you think about
when think about the
word GOVERNMENT?
Forms of Government
• Different forms of government
share, or distribute, power in
different ways
• The central government (country,
nation) can have more or less
power than the smaller regional
government divisions (states,
counties, cities)
Washington D.C.
President
Congress
(Senate & House of
Representatives)
Supreme Court
Central Authority
Country or
Nation
Regional Authority
State
(Province)
County
City
3 main ways governments
distribute, or share, power . . .
1. federal
2. unitary
3. confederation
Federal
Central = Regional
EQUAL
Unitary
Central > Regional
GREATER than
Confederation
Central < Regional
LESS than
Federal (Federation)
Central = Regional
• Power to make laws & decisions for
the people is SHARED between one
central government and several
regional authorities (ex. states,
counties, cities)
• states are given considerable selfrule, usually through their own
legislatures (body of gov’t that makes
the laws)
EXAMPLES
of federal governments
U.S.
South Africa
Sudan
India
Unitary
Central > Regional
• Most power is held by one central
authority
• Central government has all the power
to make all laws & decisions for the
people
• The central government controls
weaker states
EXAMPLES
of unitary governments
China
Japan
Israel
Saudi Arabia
Kenya
Confederation
Central  Regional
• Voluntary alliance of independent regional
authorities that often assign only a few
powers to the central authority
• Regional authorities (states, countries)
come together for a specific purpose (ex.
trade, security)
• Regional authorities agree to certain limits
to their freedom of action, but still keep
considerable independence
Confederation cont.
• Individual states make their own
laws & decisions and are loosely
connected to a weak central
government
• The central government is only
concerned about defense and
trade
• Less binding than a federation
EXAMPLES
of confederation governments
OPEC
(Organization of Petroleum
Exporting Countries)
Countries like Iran, Iraq, &
Saudi Arabia come together to
control the amount and price
of oil sold
Which government is
which?
federal
unitary
confederation
Federal
Ways Government Distributes Power
SAME size
Regional
Authority
Regional
Authority
Central
Authority
Regional
Authority
Regional
Authority
Unitary
Ways Government Distributes Power
Central LARGER than regional
Regional
Authority
Regional
Authority
Central
Authority
Regional
Authority
Regional
Authority
Confederation
Ways Government Distributes Power
central SMALLER than regional
Regional
Authority
Regional
Authority
Central
Authority
Regional
Authority
Regional
Authority
Citizen Participation
• Different forms of government
a decide a citizens’ role in
government differently
• The government can share
none, little, or most of its
power with its citizens
3 main ways governments
determine citizen
participation . . .
1. autocratic – rule by one
2. oligarchic – rule by the few
3. democratic – rule by all
Citizen’s Role in Government
Autocratic
LEAST
citizen
participation
Oligarchic
Democratic
MOST
citizen
participation
Citizen Participation in Government
• Democratic: (like our country) individuals
vote on government representatives and
on specific issues
Low or No Participation
Autocratic
Low or No Participation
Oligarchic
Citizen Participation
Government Power
General Citizens’
Participation
Select Citizens’
Participation
Government Power
Citizen Participation
Government Power
How Governments Determine
High Participation
High Participation
Citizen Participation
Low or No Participation
Democracy
Autocratic
• One person (ex. King, Czar)
possesses unlimited power
• The citizen has limited, if
any, role in government
Autocratic cont.
• The oldest form of government
• One of the most common forms
of government
• Ruler gets power through
inheritance or ruthless use of
military & police power
Forms of Autocratic Gov’ts
Totalitarianism & Dictatorships
• Ideas of a single leader glorified
• Gov’t tries to control all aspects of
social & economic life
• Gov’t is not responsible to the people
• People lack the power to limit their
rulers
• Examples- Adolf Hitler, Benito
Mussolini, Joseph Stalin
Forms of Autocratic Gov’ts
•
•
•
•
•
Absolute Monarchy
King, queen, or emperor exercises
the supreme powers of gov’t, has
unlimited power
Position is usually inherited (from
parents or other relatives)
People lack the power to limit their
rulers
Absolute monarchs are rare today
but from the 1400s to the 1700s they
ruled most of Western Europe
Example - King of Saudi Arabia
Oligarchy
• Government by the few (a few
powerful individuals make
decisions)
• Sometimes a small group exercises
control, especially for corrupt and
selfish purposes
• The citizen has a very limited role
How Governments Determine Citizen
Participation
Oligarchy
• The group gets its power from military
power, social power, wealth, religion or a
combination.
• Political opposition is usually suppressedsometimes violently.
• Examples- Communist countries such as China.
• Leaders in the party and armed forces control
government.
How Governments Determine Citizen
Participation
Autocracy & Oligarchy
• Sometimes claim they rule for the people.
• In reality, the people have very little say in
both types of government.
• Examples- May hold elections with only one
candidate or control the results in various ways.
• Examples- Even when these governments have a
legislature or national assembly, they often only
approve decisions made by the leaders.
Democracy
Two types of democracies
• Parliamentary: Representative
governing body makes most decisions
• Presidential: usually involves branches
of government/ distribution of power (like
in the U.S.)
Compare & Contrast Various Forms of
Government
Describe the two
predominant forms of
democratic governments:
Parliamentary & Presidential
Describe the two predominant forms of
democratic government: parliamentary and
presidential
Presidential Democracy
A system of government in which the
president is constitutionally independent
of the legislature.
The executive branch exists separately
from the legislature (to which it is
generally not accountable).
Describe the two predominant forms of
democratic government: parliamentary and
presidential
Parliamentary Democracy
A system of government having the real
executive power vested in a cabinet
composed of members of the legislature
who are individually and collectively
responsible to the legislature.
May have a Prime Minister elected
by the legislature.
Parliamentary Democracy
Israel, Canada, Australia
A political system in which the
legislature (parliament) selects the
government - a prime minister, premier,
or chancellor along with the cabinet
ministers - according to party strength
as expressed in elections; by this
system, the government acquires a dual
Compare types of governments
from various
countries.
responsibility:
to the people
as well
as to
Distinguish the form of leadership and the role of the citizen
the rights
parliament.
in terms of voting
and personal freedoms.
Republican Systems
Kenya and South Africa
A representative democracy in
which the people's elected
deputies (representatives), not
the people themselves, vote on
legislation.
Compare types of governments from various countries.
Distinguish the form of leadership and the role of the citizen
in terms of voting rights and personal freedoms.
Federal Republic
India, Brazil, Mexico
A state in which the powers of the
central government are restricted and in
which the component parts (states,
colonies, or provinces) retain a degree of
self-government; ultimate sovereign
power rests with the voters who chose
their governmental representatives.
Compare types of governments from various countries.
Distinguish the form of leadership and the role of the citizen
in terms of voting rights and personal freedoms.
Monarchy
Saudi Arabia
A government in which the supreme
power is lodged in the hands of a
monarch who reigns over a state or
territory, usually for life and by
hereditary right; the monarch may be
either a sole absolute ruler or a
sovereign - such as a king, queen, or
Compare
of governments
from variouslimited
countries.
princetypes
- with
constitutionally
Distinguish the form of leadership and the role of the citizen
in terms of votingauthority.
rights and personal freedoms.
Constitutional Monarchy
Japan and Canada
A system of government in which a
monarch is guided by a constitution
whereby his/her rights, duties, and
responsibilities are spelled out in
written law or by custom.
Compare types of governments from various countries.
Distinguish the form of leadership and the role of the citizen
in terms of voting rights and personal freedoms.
Theocracy
Iran
A form of government in which a
Deity is recognized as the supreme
civil ruler, but the Deity's laws are
interpreted by ecclesiastical
authorities (bishops, mullahs, etc.);
a government subject to religious
Compare types of governments
from various countries.
authority.
Distinguish the form of leadership and the role of the citizen
in terms of voting rights and personal freedoms.
Communist
China
A system of government in which the state
plans and controls the economy and a single often authoritarian - party holds power; state
controls are imposed with the elimination of
private ownership of property or capital while
claiming to make progress toward a higher
social order in which all goods are equally
shared by the people (i.e., a classless
Compare types of governments
society).from various countries.
Distinguish the form of leadership and the role of the citizen
in terms of voting rights and personal freedoms.
Dictatorships
Sudan and Cuba
A form of government in which a
ruler or small clique wield
absolute power (not restricted by
a constitution or laws).
Compare types of governments from various countries.
Distinguish the form of leadership and the role of the citizen
in terms of voting rights and personal freedoms.