Miss Smith 7 th Grade Civics *pgs Civics in Practice

 Traditional- customary or time-honored Nondemocratic Governments (Monarchies, Dictatorships, Theocracies)  Monarch- person, such as a king or queen, who reigns over a kingdom or empire  A monarchy is a type of autocracy (a form of government where one person has all the power)  A constitutional monarchy is a government where the monarch is a figure head and the power lies with the legislative body

Nondemocratic Governments (Monarchies, Dictatorships, Theocracies)  Dictator- person who rules with complete and absolute power  Often take power by force  Oligarchy- type of dictatorship where a small group has all the power  Dictators are authoritarian- they only answer to themselves, NOT the people they rule  Some are also totalitarian- they try to control every aspect of citizens’ lives  Theocracy- government controlled by one or more religious leaders who claim rule on behalf of God or the gods worshipped in their country

Democratic Governments (Direct Democracies and Representative Democracies)  Democracy- type of government in which the people of a nation either rule directly or elect officials who rule on their behalf  Direct democracy- system in which all voters in a community meet in one place to make laws and decide what actions to take  Mostly found in only small communities  Representative democracy- system in which the people elect representatives to carry on the work of the government for them  This is also called a republic. The United States is a republic

 Helping People Cooperate  Providing Services  Ex: schools, police, fire depts., highways, money, trash collection, etc.  Providing Laws  Constitution-written plan of government  Laws must be constitutional to be valid

 The 4 th purpose of the U.S. government is to guarantee the freedoms of its citizens  No one should be denied their rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness