II. Types of Government

A. Confederation Confederation – A loose association of states Characterized by a weak central government Only has power granted by member states U.S. has had two – Articles of Confederation and Confederate States of America

B. Autocracy Autocracy – Single person holds unlimited power Most common form of government in history Authoritarian – Have unlimited authority over people

C. Types of Autocracy 1) Dictatorship – Absolute power is exercised by one person who usually obtains power through force Dictare (Latin) – “Give commands” Totalitarian – Total control over the lives of people

Totalitarian Government

Modern Autocratic Leaders

2) Monarchy – Government ruled by kings and queens Absolute Monarchy – Have complete control of the people Saudi Arabia Constitutional Monarchy – Share power with elected officials Great Britain and Japan

D. Oligarchy Oligarchy – Power to rule is held by a small, usually self-appointed elite group Most communist are oligarchies China

E. Democracy Demos (Greek) – “People” Kratic (Greek) “Rule/authority” Democracy – Government that functions by the authority of the people

“Government of the people, by the people, and for the people” Abraham Lincoln Lincoln Video

F. Two Types of Democracy 1) Direct Democracy (Pure Democracy) – Political decisions are made by all people instead of elected representatives Used in ancient Greek city-states Not practical for modern society

2) Representative Democracy (Republic) – People elect officials to carry out the work of government Type of government found in most countries today

Founding Fathers admired the Roman system of government where the upper classes led the government and military Found the direct democracy of ancient Greece less appealing Many believed that history illustrated the dangers of democracy

G. Two Types of Representative Democracy 1) Presidential – Lawmaking and law-enforcing branches of government are separate but equal Government found in U.S.A Federalism – Powers of government are divided between central and local governments

2) Parliamentary – Lawmaking and law-enforcing branches of government overlap Found in Great Britain Unitary Government – All powers of government belong to a single central agency