Types of Government

Anarchy Description No gov’t and no laws Total disorder Example Usually comes from gov’t failure, overthrown

Theocracy DescriptionDescription The leaders of gov’t are also the leaders of the religionThe leaders of gov’t are also the leaders of the religion ExampleExample The Vatican & IranThe Vatican & Iran

Oligarchy Description When a family or small group of people control all of gov’ts power Example Apartheid South Africa

Dictatorship A dictatorship consists of rule by one person or a group of people Very few dictators admit they are dictators and almost always claim to be leaders of democracies The dictator may be one person Castro in Cuba Hitler in Germany Or a group of people The Communist Party in China

Dictatorship Description A leader takes control over the gov’t and has total power Example Cuba (Castro) & North Korea (Kim Jong-un)

Monarchy A monarchy consists of rule by a king or queen.A monarchy consists of rule by a king or queen. Sometimes a king is called an “emperor”Sometimes a king is called an “emperor” There are no large monarchies todayThere are no large monarchies today Example: The United Kingdom, which has a queen, is really a republic because the queen has virtually no political powerExample: The United Kingdom, which has a queen, is really a republic because the queen has virtually no political power

Absolute Monarchy Description When the King/Queen has total power over the gov’t Example Louis XIV in France

Constitutional Monarchy Description The King/Queen is limited by law and shares power with elected officials Example Present day England

Democracy The word “democracy” literally means “rule by the people.” In a democracy, the people govern

Direct Democracy Description The power of gov’t is controlled directly by the people Example New England Town Meetings

Representative Democracy Description The people elect representative s who then make decisions for them Example The United States

Republic A literal democracy is impossible in a political system containing more than a few people All “democracies” are really republics. In a republic, the people elect representatives to make and enforce laws.

Aristorcracy An aristocracy is ruled by the aristorcrats Typically the wealthy, educated people Many monarchies have really been ruled by aristocrats Today, the term aristocracy is used negatively to accuse a republic of being dominated by rich people

Democratic Republic Usually a democratic republic is not democratic and is not a republic A government that officially calls itself a “democratic republic” is usually a dictatorship Communist dictatorships have been especially prone to use this term The official name of North Vietnam was “The Democratic Republic of Vietnam” China uses “The People’s Republic of China”

4 Corners Which type of government would you want to live in? By the bookshelf – Anarchy Corner near coat hangers – Theocracy By my desk – Dictatorship Door - Democracy What affect do various forms of government have on people around the world?

Think, Pair, Share DIRECTIONS: on a scrap sheet of paper THINK - What will likely happen if a government denies all power to the people it governs? PAIR – Read another students answer to the question, then get your paper back and add any comments to your paper SHARE – tell the class when the teacher calls on you