The 7 Main Types of Government Chapter 3, Section 4
What is a Government? A government is an organization that sets up and enforces laws.
The 7 types: Direct Democracy Tribal Rule Absolute Monarchy Dictatorship Oligarchy Constitutional Monarchy Representative Democracy
Direct Democracy An early form of governments (used in Ancient Greece) Works if ruling a “small” group of people All adults take part in decisions. Town Hall meeting in New England
Tribal Rule Members of the tribes have a say in group decisions. Chiefs and elders usually made final decisions All decisions based upon the cultures customs and beliefs.
Absolute Monarchy A form of government in which a single individual, often called a king or queen, exercises complete control over all aspects of government. The position of monarch in such a country is hereditary, with succession usually passing through the king’s son, Very common up until 200 years ago. Saudi Arabia and Oman are examples of absolute monarchies. Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud, who succeeded his older brother as king of Saudi Arabia in spring 2015
Dictatorship One person (dictator) rules Dictators did not inherit power but instead seized it Rule by violence against opponents Ordinary people aren’t allowed to make their own decisions Fidel Castro's nearly five decades of rule ended when Cuba's National Assembly chose his younger brother Raul to be the country's new “president”. Kim Jong III is the dictator leader in North Korea
Oligarchy CHINA'S Communist Party President Xi Jinping leads the small group that rule China. Oligarchy means the rule of the few (those few are generally the people who are richer and more powerful than the others) The group may be the leadership of a political party, religion, or military group. Hassan Rouhani is the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is Iran’s most powerful official. As supreme leader, he has either direct or indirect control over the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, as well as the military and media.
Constitutional Monarchy Government where power of King or Queen is limited (only a symbol) Have a constitution or set of laws that define and limit the Government’s power Prime Minister of the United Kingdom : David Cameron Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II The Monarch of Great Britain. King: Mohammed VI of Morocco (left) Prime minister: Abdelilah Benkirane (right)
Representative Democracy Government run by representatives that the people choose (through their vote) People indirectly hold the power to govern and rule People can work to change laws and not reelect officials Constitution sets rules and limits power of Govt. This system ensures power is shared. US and Mexico are example of representative democracies. Mexico Presidente Enrique Peña Nieto U.S. President Barack Obama