Autocratic/Autocracy RULE OF ONE Long definition: a country or nation that is governed by a single person with unlimited power Examples of autocratic governments Dictatorship Absolute Monarchy Theocracy

Autocracy: Absolute Monarchy Saudi Arabia Many nations who were once absolute monarchs , such as Jordan and Morocco, have moved to constitutional monarchies, although the monarch retains tremendous power. Saudi Arabia King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia Mecca – time for prayer Water Problems: http://www.moneyandmarkets.com/oil-water-and-wheat-3-9667 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3584.htm

Monarchy A monarchy has a king or queen Monarchy A monarchy has a king or queen. Power is passed along through the family. Constitutional Monarchy Absolute Monarchy

Autocracy: Dictatorship Rule by a single leader who has not been elected. Inotherwords, leader is in power without the people's consent. May use force to keep control. In a military dictatorship, the army is in control. Usually, there is little or no attention to public opinion or individual rights. Burma, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, China, Zimbabwe, West Indies, North Korea, Burma, Cuba, Chile, Uganda, Iraq, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan, and Turkmenistan

Autocracy: Theocracy A form of government where the rulers claim to be ruling on behalf of a set of religious ideas, or as direct agents of a deity. Can government systems be a combination?

Oligarchic/Oligarchy RULE OF A FEW Long definition: a country or nation controlled by a small group of people that hold the key to power Examples of oligarchic governments Pakistan, South Africa

Oligarchy Rule by a few The few pick the government The whites in South Africa make up about 20% of population, but this small group has all educational and economic opportunities and proceeded to deny these opportunities to blacks. Called apartheid –legal separation based on race – this oligarchy dominated the Republic of South Africa from 1948 – 1993. Nelson Mandela led the force that changed this type of rule to democracy in 1994. He is now their first black president. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-apartheid.htm

Democratic/Democracy Rule of ALL Long definition: a country or nation that receives its power from the people (all the people hold the key to power) Examples of democratic governments Parliamentary democracy Presidential democracy

Representative Democracy Parliamentary systems are characterized by no clear-cut separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches, leading to a different set of checks and balances compared to those found in presidential systems. Parliamentary systems usually have a clear differentiation between the head of government and the head of state, with the head of government being the prime minister or premier, and the head of state often being a figurehead, often a monarchy..

Representative Democracy A presidential democracy is a system of government where an executive branch exists and presides (hence the name) separately from the legislature, to which it is not accountable and which cannot, in normal circumstances, dismiss it.

Direct Democracy People vote of everything Government in which all citizens have equal power. Every decision is voted on by the people. Rule by majority. Often used in referenda: Property tax increase etc. No direct democracy is in existence as a total form of government. Advantages Every citizen has equal power in matters of government. Every citizen is involved in the decision making. Since all citizens are involved in decision making, there is a high degree of support and loyalty. Disadvantages Only works when a small number of people are involved. Must gather all citizens in one place for discussions and voting. 2. Decision making involving all citizens is time-consuming. All citizens give input, debate, etc…

Republic A Government by the Public Led by representatives of the people. Each is individually chosen for a set period of time. A Republic, unique from democracy, has a very different purpose and an entirely different form, or system, of government. Its purpose is to control The Majority strictly, as well as all others among the people, primarily to protect The Individual’s God-given, unalienable rights and therefore for the protection of the rights of The Minority, of all minorities, and the liberties of people in general. The definition of a Republic is: a constitutionally limited government of the representative type, created by a written Constitution--adopted by the people and changeable (from its original meaning) by them only by its amendment--with its powers divided between three separate Branches: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. Here the term "the people" means, of course, the electorate. http://www.lexrex.com/enlightened/AmericanIdeal/aspects/demrep.html

REMEMBER: nearly every country in the world is ruled by a system that combines 2 or more government systems.

UNITARY Long definition: One central government controls weaker states. Power is not shared between states, counties, or provinces. Examples of unitary governments China

Confederation Long definition: A weak or loose organization of states that agree to follow a central government. Each state makes its own laws and the central government is only concerned about defense and trade Examples of confederation governments No current examples – confederations don’t last long

FEDERAL Long definition: Power is shared by a powerful central government and states or provinces that are given considerable self-rule, usually through their own legislatures Examples of federal governments United States Germany Australia