Chapter 27.1
Types of Government
Authoritarian Government
 No two gov’ts are alike. They are shaped by
their country’s unique history, culture, politics and
economy.
 Gov’ts may be grouped into two broad
categories: democratic and authoritarian. In
authoritarian regimes, power is held by an
individual or group not accountable to the
people. An oligarchy is an example of this.
continued
 A monarchy is a gov’t with a hereditary ruler.
Absolute monarchs has unlimited authority to do
as they wish. Today, many countries have
monarchs but almost none are “absolute”.
continued
 A monarchy is a gov’t with a hereditary ruler.
Absolute monarchs has unlimited authority to
do as they wish. Today, many countries have
monarchs but almost none are “absolute”.
 Dictators also exercise complete control but
usually take power by force. Most rely on the
police and military to stay in power. They often
tamper with elections or refuse to hold them.
They also limit basic freedoms.
continued
 The brutal rule of dictator Idi Amin in Uganda lefts
hundreds of thousands dead. Cuba’s Fidel
Castro and Libya’s Muammar al-Qaddhafi still
hold power.
continued
 Most dictators impose totalitarian rule, in which
the gov’t controls almost all aspects of people’s
lives. Totalitarian leaders typically have a master
plan for the economy and society. They ban
political opposition, suppress individual freedom
and dictate what people should believe. To
enforce their rules, they control the media and
use scare tactics and violence.
 Hitler and Stalin were totalitarian rulers. Today,
China, Cuba and North Korea have them.
Democratic Governments
 Almost all monarchies today are constitutional
monarchies, in which the power of the hereditary
ruler is limited by the country’s constitution and
laws. These gov’ts generally follow democratic
practices.
 The people participate in governing and elect
officials to make laws. The monarch serves as
the ceremonial head of state and nation symbol
of unity.
continued
 A republic is a democracy with a representative
gov’t in which no leaders inherit office. It is also
called a representative democracy or a
constitutional republic. The U.S. was the first
republic, but not there are many more.
 Democracy has been spreading. Nearly 2/3rds of
the world’s countries now have democratic gov’ts.
All are representative democracies, though they
vary in how they elect leaders and organize gov’t.
continued
 Few democracies use a presidential system.
Most follow Great Britain’s model and use a
parliamentary system. The legislature is usually
called a parliament and the head of gov’t, a
prime minister, though the terminology can vary.
continued
 In a parliamentary system, top officials perform
both executive and legislative functions. Prime
ministers and their cabinet ministers are
members of the parliament, so they help make
the laws as well as carry them out. In a
presidential system, the executive and legislative
branches operate independently.
 In a presidential system, voters elect the
president directly. In a parliamentary system,
members of parliament elect the prime minister.
continued
 In a presidential system, the president acts as
both the head of gov’t (political leader) and head
of state (ceremonial leader). In a parliamentary
system, someone other than the prime ministers
(king, queen, etc) serve as head of state.
 Because a parliamentary system does not
separate the legislative and executive branches,
it has fewer checks and balances.
continued
 However, the unity among branches helps the
gov’t get things done. The prime minister is
typically from the majority party in the legislature.
As a result, the gov’t has fewer party conflicts
over laws and policies like those that cause
gridlock in the U.S. Congress.
 Gov’ts evolve as times change and people with
new agendas come to power.