What If…You Had the Power

If you were the leader of a country, what
kind of rulings would you make? What
kind of political powers would you let the
people of your country have?
Question from debate last night

What is the U.S.’s role in the world?
Who Has the Power in
Different Governments?
Autocracy vs. Oligarchy vs. Democracy
Autocracy: One Person
Only one person has all the power in
making decisions for the people.
Government Forms:
1. Dictatorship
Examples: Germany’s Hitler, U.S.S.R.’s Stalin
2.
Absolute Monarchy – one king in
power with complete control
Examples: France’s King Louis XVI, Spain’s King
Ferdinand
Oligarchy: A Small Group

Only a few people in a small group of royalty,
wealth, family, or military influence make
political decisions for the country’s people.
Government Forms:
Communism – a small group controls all the
economic resources and government
Examples: former Soviet Union, Cuba, China
Democracy: The Citizens
The citizens have a say in their
government by voting in elections.
 Most democracies today are republics,
where the people elect leaders to
represent them in the government.
 Most countries in the world are
democracies.

Presidential Democracy


a government in which the executive,
legislative, and judicial branches are
separate
The citizens vote for the leader of the
country, the president, who serves in the
executive branch.
Example: U.S.A.
Parliamentary Democracy



a government where voters elect
representatives to a lawmaking body called
parliament
Parliament members then select the leader,
usually called the prime minister.
The prime minister is the national political
leader, and another figure serves as the
head of state, like a constitutional monarch.
Examples: United Kingdom, Canada
Constitutional Monarchy

a government that has a constitution that
allows a king or queen to be the official
head of state, but elected officials run the
government
Examples: United Kingdom, Spain
You have just turned 18 and are voting for the first time in your life. You will be
voting for the president of your country and for other elected officials. Which form
of government do you have?
A. Monarchy
C. Democracy
B. Parliamentary democracy
D. Communist
1.
2. In your country, the legislative branch (the law making branch) has just elected a
new prime minister. Which form of government do you have?
A. Parliamentary Democracy
C. Constitutional Monarchy
B. Autocracy
D. Oligarchy
3. The ruler of your country has always made all of the political and economic
decisions for the country. The citizens do not always agree with his decisions, but they
have no power to change anything. He alone makes the decisions and has unlimited
power. Which form of government do you have?
A. Parliamentary Democracy
C. Constitutional Monarchy
B. Autocracy
D. Oligarchy
4. The government is run by a single person who has all the power. The people have
no role in the government and have little freedom. Which of the following terms
describe your country and its form of government?
A. Constitutional Monarchy
C. Democracy
B. Oligarchy
D. Autocracy
5. How does a democratic government differ from an oligarchic government?
A. The role of the citizen
C. Law making process
B. How leadership is selected
D. Judicial system
6. In a parliamentary government, unlike the presidential system, the head of
government belongs to which branch?
A. Legislative
C. National
B. Executive
D. Judicial
Autocracy
Oligarchy
Democracy
Communism
Definitionone person
has all the
power
SentenceCuba is an
autocracy
because
Castro has all
the power.
Bibliography
"political systems." Britannica Elementary Encyclopedia.
2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition.
6 Mar. 2009 <http://www.school.eb.com.proxygsusgwi.galileo.usg.edu/elementary/article?articleId=390910
>.
The World and Its People. McGraw-Hill Companies:
Columbus, OH. 2005