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?

Types of Governments

To study governments, geographers look at the following: Types – Who rules and who participates. Systems – How the power is distributed.

Autocracy Government in which the power to govern is held by one person. Generally the power to rule is inherited or by military force. There are two types of Autocracies.

#1 Dictatorship The leader has not been elected and uses force to control all aspects of social and economic life. Examples: Fidel Castro of Cuba

#2 Absolute Monarchy A monarchy has a king, queen, emperor or empress. The power is usually inherited or passed down from family members. The monarch has absolute power meaning they can make all decisions without consulting anyone.

Oligarchy A government in which a few people such as a dominant clan or clique have power. The group gets their power from either military, wealth or social status. Elections may be held but offer only one candidate. Examples: Greek city states

Democracy In a democracy, the government is “Rule by the people” There are two forms of democracy Direct Democracy – People vote on all the issues. Representative Democracy – People elect representatives and give them the power to vote on issues. Example: United States

In a democracy…. Individual freedom and equality is valued. Free elections are held Decisions are based on majority rule. All candidates can express their views freely.

Democratic Governments There are two major forms of democratic governments: Parliamentary Presidential

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. Examples: United Kingdom, Canada