Government / Civics Understandings

SS7CG1 SS7CG1 The student will compare and contrast various forms of government. A. Describe the ways government systems distribute power: unitary, confederation, and federal. B. Explain how governments determine citizen participation: autocratic, oligarchic, and democratic. C. Describe the two predominant forms of democratic governments: parliamentary and presidential.

Who Has the Power? A government is a body with the authority to make laws, enforce those laws, and interpret laws when disagreements arise. A government also oversees the general welfare of its people.

Three Systems of Power Distribution: Unitary Confederation Federal

Unitary Systems Unitary systems give all the power to the central government. The central government may delegate (or transfer) some duties to smaller political units like states, but it retains final authority over all decisions. Unitary central governments are stronger than federal central governments. Countries with unitary governments include: France, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and Kenya.

Confederations A confederation is a loose alliance of countries or other political units like states. Each unit has final control of its own laws and citizens. The central government makes decisions only on issues that affect the entire confederation.

Confederations (Cont’d.) Confederations can be unstable because members often want to do things their own way. Examples include the Confederate States of America and the British Commonwealth of Nations.

Federal Systems Federal systems divide power between the central government of smaller political units like states. Most federal systems give a lot of power to the lower governments to handle local affairs. The central government handles issues that concern the entire country, like maintaining armed forces and negotiating treaties with foreign countries.

Federal Systems (Cont’d.) Some countries with federal systems include the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil.

Who Gets to Participate? In an autocratic system, one leader holds complete power. An autocracy is the opposite of a democracy. Citizens have no participation in government when living under an autocratic system. The German Nazi regime from 1933-1945 is an example

Who Gets to Participate? (cont’d.) In an Oligarchic system, control rests with a small group of people with wealth and power. Citizen participation is usually restricted to the ruling group. An example of an Oligarchy is the apartheid system in South Africa from 1948-1994.

Who Gets to Participate? (cont’d.) In a democratic system, the people hold supreme power. They usually exercise their power by electing officials to represent them. All citizens have equal rights to participate in government regardless of their position of wealth. The U.S. has a democratic system of government.

Parliament vs. President There are two predominant forms of democratic governments: parliamentary and presidential. The main difference between the two is the relationship between the legislative and executive branches of government. In the parliamentary system, the legislature (Parliament) controls the power.

Parliament vs. President The majority party in the legislature forms a government headed by a prime minister. The prime minister and his cabinet are members of the legislature, and the prime minister answers to the legislature (fusion of powers). The government will stay in office for a specified term unless the prime minister loses support of the majority and is forced to resign, and elections are then held.

Parliament vs. President In the presidential system, the executive and legislative branches are separate bodies elected independently by citizens (separation of powers). There are checks and balances where each branch can overrule the other. The president answers to the voters, not the legislature. The people elect the president, and elections are held at set intervals.