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?
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
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