What FOrms of government are out there? Exploring Governments Throughout the World

Where did the Founders get a model for government? The Founders modeled our government based on the Roman Republic. “Republic” comes from the latin “res publica” which means thing or property of the people. So, a republic is a country that has a government in which power is held by the people. WORD WALL WORD! FLREA © 2012

WORD WALL WORD! What is a “Democracy”? Democracy is literally defined as “rule of the people” This means that a government that takes the form of a democracy is one in which all citizens can exercise some kind of political power What are some examples of “political power” citizens can exercise? Voting Running for office Contacting public officials FLREA © 2012

What kinds of republican government are there? Direct Democracy Based on the definition of “democracy” how would you define a direct democracy? Draw a picture to illustrate your definition of direct democracy! Representative Democracy What is a “representative”? An elected person to act and speak on behalf of others Based on the definition of “representative” and “democracy”, how you would define representative democracy? Draw a picture to illustrate your definition of representative democracy! FLREA © 2012

What is direct democracy? Direct democracy is a government where the people have an individual voice in government. Government FLREA © 2012

It is what is best for the most amount of people… What would you say… The advantages are to direct democracy? Every individual has a voice in government Works well in small communities. If we take a vote in the classroom, we are acting as a direct democracy. The disadvantages are to direct democracy? Too many voices at once Only works in small communities Not efficient What do you mean? WORD WALL WORD! Government What is the common good? It is what is best for the most amount of people… Individual becomes greater than the common good FLREA Copyright 2012 FLREA © 2012

Common Good Common good – good of the community as a whole When do we act in favor of the common good on a daily basis? For example, if I were ordering pizza for the whole class, would I just order my favorite (and we will pretend my favorite is anchovies with pineapple) or would I get something that the class as a whole would enjoy (like plain cheese or peperoni)? Acting in favor of the common good puts the group before the individual. Why is this a good thing? FLREA © 2012

What is Representative Democracy? Representative democracy is a system where individuals have a voice in government through elected representatives Government FLREA © 2012

What would you say… The disadvantages are to representative democracy? The advantages are to representative democracy? Representatives are elected to represent the common good instead of individual interests Representatives make the system more efficient – it’s their job to know the laws and the system People get a say in government through someone elected by the people Works well in large areas with diverse populations The disadvantages are to representative democracy? Individuals must set aside their private interests and personal concerns for the sake of the whole – some people are not comfortable with this FLREA © 2012

SPEED DATE! ONE MINUTE Everyone stand up. Half of the class, go to one side of the room. The other side of the class, go to the other side. Line up facing each other. You will have 1 minute each. One side will speak, the other side will listen only. After one minute, the other side may speak. You must use the entire minute to explain your answer! After each side has spoken, one line will shift down one person. The person on the end will go to the other end of the line. ONE MINUTE FLREA © 2012

Answer this question: What do you think is more important: Individual interests or the common good? FLREA © 2012

So we learned about representative governments…. What other kinds of governments are out there? Direct Democracy Representative Democracy Communism Monarchy Oligarchy Autocracy Saudi Arabia North Korea Vietnam FLREA © 2012

As these governments are being discussed… Draw a diagram of the government we are discussing. Think about the definition and illustrate the definition in a way that makes sense to you. Some examples would be the direct democracy and representative democracy diagrams: Government Government FLREA © 2012

Communism In a communist government, the government believes in owning all means of production and eliminating private property This means that all things are owned by the government and shared by the people. The intention of this system is to ensure that everyone has equal access and property However, this system can become corrupt quickly with the government removing all rights of the people Vietnam FLREA © 2012

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia Monarchy A monarchy has a king, queen, emperor or empress. The ruling position can be passed on to the ruler’s heirs. In some traditional monarchies, the monarch has absolute power, like in Saudi Arabia. But a constitutional monarchy, like the United Kingdom, also has a democratic government that limits the monarch's control. Image from the New York Post King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia FLREA © 2012 Queen Elizabeth II

Oligarchy A government in which control is exercised by a small group of individuals whose authority generally is based on wealth or power This power may not always be exercised openly. Oligarchs sometimes prefer to remain the “power behind the throne.” A modern example of oligarchy could be seen in South Africa during the 20th century where oligarchy was based on racism. FLREA © 2012

Autocracy A government ruled by a single leader who has unlimited power and denies peoples’ fundamental rights. In a military dictatorship, the army is in control. One person is in charge and often takes over by force. Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Sadam Hussein were examples FLREA © 2012

CONSTITUTIONALMONARCHY In your group… Compare your illustrations of different kinds of government Using the large chart paper, create one diagram for each government as a group. Be sure to talk through the definitions and incorporate everyone’s ideas. DO NOT write the name of the government on the chart paper. Once finished, post your 4 diagrams on the wall by your table. CONSTITUTIONALMONARCHY DICTATORHIP COMMUNISM OLIGARCHY FLREA © 2012

What government is that? Once you have posted your government diagram: Rotating clockwise, go to the posters posted by the other groups and write which government they were illustrating on the poster. Work as a group to make your guess. Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 FLREA © 2012

What Do these Governments Look Like?

Communism Government Government Government FLREA © 2012

Constitutional Monarchy Government Constitutional Monarchy FLREA © 2012

Oligarchy Government Government FLREA © 2012

Autocracy Government FLREA © 2012

What else is there? Another type of government is anarchy. Anarchy is when there is a complete breakdown of government and the people fall into a start of chaos. There is no organization or control. FLREA © 2012

What else is there? Socialism is an economic system and political theory First, what is an economic system? A system of production and consumption of goods and services of a community This includes the wealth and resources of a nation The government’s role (or absence of a role) in the regulation of business and production. Socialism is an economic system which Promotes collective or governmental ownership Administration of the means of production and distribution of goods by government or collective groups This results in no free, competitive, private businesses FLREA © 2012