WHAT IS GOVERNMENT? 10 th American Civilization Council Rock School District
GOVERNMENT GOVERNMENT: Institutions and officials organized to establish & carry out public policy DO YOU BELIEVE GOVERNMENT IS NECESSARY? WHY OR WHY NOT?
PROS AND CONS TO GOVERNMENT PROSCONS Organize Society Get caught up in minute details Promotes Unity Can create political divisions Effectively solve problems Can get distracted and lose focus Efficiently progress Can be corrupted
EARLY GOVERNMENTS
GOVERNMENTS TODAY Roughly 5 major government styles: 1. MONARCHY: rule by one hereditary leader; not very common no struggles for power leader may not have to prove any qualifications King Abdullah Saudi Arabia
GOVERNMENTS TODAY 2. DICTATORSHIP: Rule by one powerful leader who seizes and holds power by force Power is centralized, making it easy to maintain peace and order Power is easily abused; citizens are often denied basic rights Kim Jong Un North Korea
GOVERNMENTS TODAY 3. THEOCRACY: Rule by a few religious leaders Encourages political and social unity and similar moral beliefs (so long as everyone supports the same religion) Religious persecution; warfare Pope Francis I Vatican City Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami Iran
GOVERNMENTS TODAY 4. PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY: Rule by a legislative majority – voters elect law makers to represent them in a parliament and the parliament selects a prime minister Easier to get laws passed Prime Minister may lack public support David Cameron Prime Minister: United Kingdom
GOVERNMENTS TODAY 5. PRESIDENTIAL DEMOCRACY: Rule by representatives of the people: voters elect a president in the executive branch as well as lawmakers in the legislative branch. Provides a system of checks and balances to ensure no government branch becomes too powerful It is almost impossible to remove a president no matter how unpopular Barack Obama President: United States
PICTIONARY! Now that you’ve learned about the 5 types of government: 1)Use the handout to sketch a picture that represents each government. 2)Cut out each square 3)Write the government type and a short definition on the backs of each card 4) Test a nearby classmate with the new flashcards you created!