Systems of
Governments
NAME:____________________________
MODS:____________________________
WORLD CIVILIZATIONS: __________________
Ohio Content Standards
Government
Systems of
Government
1. Explain how various systems of governments acquire, use
and justify their power.
2. Analyze the purposes, structures and functions of various
systems of government including:
a. Absolute monarchies;
b. Constitutional monarchies;
c. Parliamentary democracies;
d. Presidential
democracies;
e. Dictatorships;
f. Theocracies.
I. Absolute Monarchies



A. Absolute Monarch: A king or queen who has
unlimited power and seeks to control all aspects
of society.
B. Absolute Monarchs acquire power through
birth.
C. Disadvantages of Absolute Monarchies:
1. an absolute monarch cannot be questioned.
2. The freedoms of individual citizens
are
often limited.
3. Freedom of speech and press are not
guaranteed.
4. There are few checks on authority therefore,
a king or queen does not have to respect the
rights of the people.
Examples of Absolute
Monarchies

A. Then

1. The Reign of King Louis XIV of France 1643-1715

2. “L’etat, c’est moi.”
I am the state
B. Now

1. Saudi Arabia
a. The world’s leading
producer of crude oil.
b. Present ruler is
King Salman.
c. Opposition to
the king is not
tolerated.
d. Citizens are not free to speak out against
the government.
e. Citizens cannot take part in elections to
choose public officials.
f. All Saudi officials are
appointed by the king,
not elected by
the people.
II. Constitutional
Monarchies







A. Constitutional Monarch: A system of governing in which
the ruler’s power is limited by law.
B. The country’s laws are determined by a Constitution or
Bill of Rights.
C. A constitution is a document that lists many things that
a ruler cannot do.
D. For example, No interfering with freedom of speech or
religion.
E. Constituitions limit a monarch’s power; therefore real
power belongs to elected officials, not the king or queen.
F. Usually constitutional monarchies have a legislative
branch.
G. In England, the legislative branch is called Parliament.
III. Example of a
Constitutional Monarchy

A. Great Britain: Queen Elizabeth II

B. Although Great Britain has a royal family, it also
has a Constitution, Parliament, and a Prime
Minister.
IV. Dictatorships
A. Dictatorship: A system ruled by a
dictator possessing absolute power and
absolute authority.
 B. A dictator usually takes power of a
preexisting government by military force.
 C. This take-over is called a coup d’etat.
 D. Dictators usually appoint a police
force that uses threats and actual force
to stop anyone from saying anything
against the dictatorship.

V. Examples of Dictators of
the Past and Present


A. Adolf Hitler
B. Kim Jong UN
Nazi Germany
North Korea
V. Cont.

A. Dictatorships are dangerous. A dictator rules with
unlimited power and therefore can get away with
inhumane treatment of their citizens.

B. Adolf Hitler was responsible for the mass slaughter
(genocide) of 6 million Jewish people during WWII.

C. Kim Jong UN of North Korea. The Kim Jong Un regime
is very secretive and completely isolated from the rest of
the world.

D. His father (Kim Jong Il) had been accused of
supporting terrorism and in 2005 announced that North
Korea had developed nuclear weapons.
VI. Theocracy

A. Theocracy: A government controlled by
religious leaders.

B. A present day example of a theocracy is Iran.

C. Iran is officially titled, The Islamic Republic of
Iran
VI. Theocracy Cont.

D. All secular (nonreligious) laws passed
in Iran are reviewed by a 12 member
Council of Guardians.

E. The Council is made up of six Muslim
religious experts and six Muslim attorneys.

F. All laws must be consistent with Islamic
religious laws.
VII. Parliamentary
Democracies
A. Democracy: a government where the power is
vested in the citizens to make laws for their own
society usually involving periodically held free
elections.
B. Power for a democracy is acquired through
elections.
C. Parliamentary Democracies: A body of
representatives elected by the people of a
nation to make laws.
D. Once elected, the members of parliament
elect a chief executive and cabinet to run the
government.

E. France, India, Israel and Canada are examples of a
Parliamentary Democracies.
F. Remember that Democracy means Freedom for its
citizens.
VIII. Presidential
Democracy
A. Presidential democracy: All
citizens can vote to decide who
becomes the chief executive
(president) of a nation.
 B. This means that a president must
answer directly to the people.
 C. The United States is an example
of a presidential democracy.
 D. The President serves as the
Executive Branch of the country’s
government.

Types
of
Government
Absolute Constitutional DictatorMonarchyMonarchy
ship
Theocracy
ParliamentaryPresidential
Democracy Democracy
Quiz Study Questions
You need to know….
1.
Definitions of the six types of governments.
2.
How leaders acquire power in the six government system
ex.)Absolute Monarchy: Power passed down
from a
parent to a child
Dictatorship: Power taken by force
Representative Democracy: leaders are
elected
by the people of the nation
3.
Countries’ government systems
ex.) Presidential Democracy: U.S.A.
Theocracy: Iran
Dictatorship: Saddam Hussein/Iraq, Hitler/Nazi Germany, Kim
Jong Un/ N. Korea