Systems of Government ____________ Authoritarian Totalitarianism Democracy

How are Decisions Made? A person’s belief system influences the type of choices and decisions they make. These belief systems are often known as ideologies Different ideologies influence the way decisions are made

Ideologies and Systems of Government Government is basically decision making Ideologies (beliefs and values about how society should be structured) influence the type of government that a country has Many different Systems of Government or Leadership Styles have been used around the world

Decision Making Systems (Systems of Government) When determining how a government should be classified, it is important to answer these questions: 1) Who rules? 2) In whose interest do they rule? 3) How do they rule?

Classification of Governments We use three broad categories for classifying systems of government or leadership styles: 1) Totalitarian 2) Authoritarian 3) Democratic

1) Totalitarianism Definition: The government uses military force and terror to control society and remake society based on a specific ideology. Who?: One ruler or several (power centralized) Whose interest?: Ruler’s interest How?: Military force, terror, fear, one political party (no real democracy)

2) Authoritarianism Definition: The government uses the military to maintain control of the country, and generally does not try to remake society with an ideology, but an ideology can still be present. Who?: One ruler or several (power centralized) Whose interest?: Ruler’s interest and sometimes the people (eg. Some monarchy’s) How?: Military control, sometimes fear, one political party (no real democracy), sometimes popular support of the people

3) Democracy Definition: A system of government in which decisions are controlled by the people. Who?: People elect representatives and a leader by majority vote Whose interest?: People’s interest How?: Government must be elected and follow the country’s constitution

Applying your Knowledge Read through the following scenarios and determine the system of government and ideology for each. Be sure to use evidence from the scenario to support your position.

After World War One, Germany went through many changes After World War One, Germany went through many changes. The monarchy was abolished, severe restrictions were imposed on Germany by the Allied nations, and a new type of government was implemented where elected officials made the country’s decisions. These changes resulted in a great amount of instability for Germany, both economically and politically. A new party called the National Socialists (Nazis) started to gain greater popularity and acceptance among Germans as the problems in Germany grew. Their vocal leader, Adolf Hitler, promoted an ideology called fascism . He also blamed the Jews for all the problems in Germany and promised to remake Germany economically, socially and politically if elected to the German Reichstag. Hitler and his Nazis gained complete control of Germany by 1933. Once in power, he took away the civil rights of Jews, drastically expanded the military, and established police forces that used fear and intimidation to control Germans.  

Scenario Two: The Russian Revolution of 1917, led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew Czar Nicholas and the monarchy that had lasted for centuries. Lenin assumed power for almost ten years until his death. Then Josef Stalin took over as ruler of Russia and tried to make Russia into a true communist country by centralizing power and asserting even greater control over the economy. The economy was restructured into five year plans, each one focused on a certain sector such as agriculture or manufacturing. Stalin also expanded the military, established secret police (KGB), and built gulags (interment camps) where political prisoners were sent and millions died. Stalin was incredibly paranoid and constantly feared that those close to him were plotting to assassinate him. As a result, he had many of his generals killed, leaving the military in disarray prior to World War Two. He thought this would deter others from making plans against his life. Following World War Two, he continued his military build-up in competition with the Americans in what became known as the “Cold War.”