1. Presentation, Graphic Organizers, & Activities
European
GOVERNMENTS
GOVERNMENTS
UK, Germany, & Russia
Presentation, Graphic Organizers, & Activities

2. STANDARDS:
SS6CG4 The student will compare and contrast various forms of government.
Describe the ways government systems distribute power: unitary, confederation, and federal.
Explain how governments determine citizen participation: autocratic, oligarchic, and democratic.
Describe the two predominant forms of democratic governments: parliamentary and presidential.
SS6CG5 The student will explain the structure of modern European governments.
a. Compare the parliamentary system of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (United Kingdom), the federal system of the Federal Republic of Germany (Germany), and the federation of the Russian Federation (Russia), distinguishing the form of leadership and the role of the citizen in terms of voting and personal freedoms.
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3. TEACHER INFO: Government Chart
Print off the Government chart for each student.
The students will complete the chart while discussing the presentation.
Check the answers as a class after the presentation.
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4. Comparing European Governments How is Head of Gov. Chosen?
Directions: Complete the chart below while discussing the presentation.
Country
Distribution of Power
Type of Government
Executive Branch
How is Head of Gov. Chosen?
Legislative Branch
Role of Citizen
United Kingdom
Federal Republic of Germany
Russian Federation

5. Comparing European Governments How is Head of Gov. Chosen?
Directions: Complete the chart below while discussing the presentation.
Country
Distribution of Power
Type of Government
Executive Branch
How is Head of Gov. Chosen?
Legislative Branch
Role of Citizen
United Kingdom
Unitary
Parliamentary Democracy
1. Prime Minister
2. Monarch
1. Leader of the political party in the House of Commons with the most members
2. hereditary
Parliament
Many freedoms, can vote but not directly for chief executive
Federal Republic of Germany
Federal
Chancellor
President
Both are selected by members of the legislature
Russian Federation
Presidential Democracy
Prime Minister
1. Elected by popular vote
2. Appointed by president
Federal Assembly
Many freedoms since moving away from communism, citizens vote directly for leader
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6. TEACHER INFO: Anticipation Guide
Print off the Anticipation Guide for each student (two-per-page).
The students will complete the guide BEFORE the presentation. Afterwards, give the students a few minutes to look back over their answers and make any corrections.
Check the answers as a class AFTER the presentation.
KEY B F C I G E D H A
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7. European Governments European Governments Anticipation Guide
Name:
Name:
European Governments
Anticipation Guide
European Governments
Anticipation Guide
Directions: You will make predictions about the answers to the following questions BEFORE learning about this unit. Write the letter of the vocabulary term that matches the definitions below.
Directions: You will make predictions about the answers to the following questions BEFORE learning about this unit. Write the letter of the vocabulary term that matches the definitions below.
A. Unitary
B. Presidential
C. Democracy
D. Federal
E Russia
F. Legislature
G. Autocracy
H. Parliamentary
I. Confederation
A. Unitary
B. Presidential
C. Democracy
D. Federal
E Russia
F. Legislature
G. Autocracy
H. Parliamentary
I. Confederation
_______ In this type of democracy, the leader works independently of the legislature.
_______ This branch of government makes the country’s laws.
_______ In this type of government, citizens play an important role because they are able to vote for leaders and laws.
_______ In this type of government structure, power is held by individual countries joined for a common purpose.
_______ In this type of government, citizens have virtually no role because all the decisions are made by a single leader.
_______ This country was previously part of an autocratic system.
_______ In this type of government, power is shared by national and regional/local authorities.
_______ What type of democracy is found in the United Kingdom?
_______ This government structure is where the power is held by one central authority. .
_______ In this type of democracy, the leader works independently of the legislature.
_______ This branch of government makes the country’s laws.
_______ In this type of government, citizens play an important role because they are able to vote for leaders and laws.
_______ In this type of government structure, power is held by individual countries joined for a common purpose.
_______ In this type of government, citizens have virtually no role because all the decisions are made by a single leader.
_______ This country was previously part of an autocratic system.
_______ In this type of government, power is shared by national and regional/local authorities.
_______ What type of democracy is found in the United Kingdom?
_______ This government structure is where the power is held by one central authority. .
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8. United Kingdom, Germany,
European
Governments
United Kingdom, Germany,
& Russia
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9. Government Systems – Who has the power?
Let’s Review
Government Systems – Who has the power?
Unitary--power is held by one central authority
Confederation--association of independent states that agree to certain limitations on their freedoms by joining together
Federal--power is divided between central authority & several regional authorities
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10. Government Types – how do citizens participate?
Let’s Review
Government Types – how do citizens participate?
Autocracy-- 1 person possesses unlimited power & citizens have limited role in government
Oligarchy-- small group exercises control & citizens have limited role in government
Democracy--supreme power is vested in the people & exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation involving free elections
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11. Two Types of Democratic Governments:
Let’s Review
Two Types of Democratic Governments:
Parliamentary– citizens elect members of Parliament, and then the members select the leader
Leader works with or through the legislature
Presidential--system of government in which the leader is constitutionally independent of the legislature; citizens directly elect leader
Leader works separate from legislature
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12. United
Kingdom
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13. (House of UK’s Parliament)
Palace of Westminster
(House of UK’s Parliament)
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14. Unitary System
The United Kingdom has a unitary system, which means that the central government has all of the power.
The central government can give power to or create lower levels of government.
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15. Unitary Governments
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16. Leadership
1. Prime Minister: holds the most political power and is the chief executive.
Leader of the British Parliament & works with the legislative branch.
2. Monarch: is the official head of state (a symbol for the country)
Duties are mostly ceremonial
Role is restricted by the constitution of the United Kingdom (constitutional monarchy)
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17. Queen Elizabeth II
Her Royal Highness
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18. Theresa May
UK’s Prime Minister
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19. How Leaders
Are Chosen
Prime Minister: the leader of the majority political party in the House of Commons with the most members is asked by the Queen to become the Prime Minister.
Monarch: hereditary
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20. Legislature
The Parliament is the country’s bicameral legislature (law-making body).
It consists of:
House of Lords
House of Commons
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21. House of Lords
In the past, these seats were passed down through wealthy families.
Now, Lords are elected by the House or are appointed by the monarch.
Members have little power, and can only make suggestions of ways to improve a bill that is on its way to becoming a law.
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22. House of Lords
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23. House of Commons UK’s citizens elect these members.
646 members total: 529 from England, 40 from Wales, 59 from Scotland, and 18 from Northern Ireland
This branch controls the countries budget (has lots of power).
The leader of the political party with the most members becomes the Prime Minister.
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24. House of Commons
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25. Parliamentary Democracy
The leader of the political party with the most members in the House of Commons is asked by the queen to become prime minister.
The prime minister is the head of the government and runs the government on a day-to-day basis.
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26. Role of the
Citizen
Citizens are treated equally & have many personal freedoms like freedom of speech, press, religion, and assembly.
They also have the right to vote.
Men and women who are 18 years of age may choose to vote in national elections.
Citizens can choose representatives from many political parties.
Citizens do NOT elect the leader, only members of the House of Commons.
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27. Germany
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28. Germany’s Reichstag Building
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29. Federal System
Germany has a federal system, which means that the national government and the state governments SHARE power.
There are 16 regional states in Germany.
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30. Federal Governments
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31. Leadership
1. Chancellor is the chief executive and head of the military.
Runs the government
2. President: is the official head of state
Duties are mostly ceremonial and is a symbol for the country
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32. Angela Merkel
Germany’s Chancellor
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33. Joachim Gauck
Germany’s President
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34. How Leaders
Are Chosen
Chancellor: Selected by members of Germany’s legislature; serves a 4-year term
President: Representatives of the legislature and representatives of the states choose the president
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35. Legislature Parliament is the country’s bicameral legislature.
It consists of two houses called the Bundestag and the Bundesrat.
Germany’s constitution is called the Basic Law.
It states that Germany is a welfare state: government guarantees people certain benefits when they are unemployed, sick, poor, or disabled.
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36. Bundestag The Bundestag is the lower house and has the most power.
Citizens of each German state elect its members.
Members of this house elect the Chancellor (chief executive of Germany).
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38. Bundesrat
The Bundesrat represents the interests of the state governments.
Each state government selects representatives for this house.
The 16 states each have differing numbers of representatives, depending on their population.
It is mainly concerned with laws that affect states, such as education and local government issues.
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40. Parliamentary Democracy
The chancellor is selected by members of the Bundestag.
The chancellor is the leader of the party with the most seats in the Bundestag.
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41. Role of the
Citizen
Citizens have same basic freedoms as United Kingdom.
Citizens 18 or older may chose to vote
They have freedom of speech, right to a fair trial, the right to own property, and the right to security.
Citizens do not directly elect the leaders (only the Bundestag).
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42. Russia
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43. Russia’s White House
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44. Federal System
Russia has a federal system, which means that the national government and the federal districts (political units like states) SHARE power.
There are 7 federal districts in Russia, each run by its own regional governor.
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45. Leadership 1. President: holds the most political power
Is both the chief executive and the head of state
Elected by the people (presidential democracy)
2. Prime Minister: helps in day-to-day running of government
Appointed by the president
2nd in command
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46. Vladimir Putin
Russia’s President
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47. Russia’s Prime Minister
Dimitri Medvedev
Russia’s Prime Minister
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48. How Leaders
Are Chosen
1. President: elected by popular vote for a six-year term.
There is a two-consecutive term limitation.
2. Prime Minister: appointed by the President
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49. Legislature
The Federal Assembly is the country’s bicameral legislature.
It consists of two houses called the Federation Council and the State Duma.
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50. Federation Council
The Federation Council has two representatives from each state.
State governments appoint the council’s members; they are not directly elected by the people.
One important duty: approve the president’s choices of people to fill different government jobs.
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51. Federation Council in Session
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52. State Duma The State Duma is larger than the Federation Council.
It has 450 members who are elected directly by the people.
This house controls the budget and makes the laws.
It also approves the president’s choice for prime minister.
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53. State Duma Building in Moscow
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54. Presidential Democracy
The citizens directly elect the president (every six years).
The president works separately from Russia’s Federal Assembly (legislature).
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55. Role of the Citizen Russia ratified a new constitution in 1993.
It guarantees human and civil rights for its citizens, such as the right to vote, equal rights, freedom of religion and speech, etc.
Other important rights granted, which were denied during Communist rule, include freedom of movement, mail correspondence, and right to private telephone calls.
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56. Voting in Russia
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57. In Summary…
United Kingdom = parliamentary democracy, constitutional monarchy, unitary system
Germany = parliamentary democracy, federal system
Russia = presidential democracy, federal system
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58. TEACHER INFO: Insta-Snaps
Print off the following slide & make a copy for each student.
In each “snap box” the students will draw a picture to represent a part of each country’s government. (It could be a leader, legislature, citizens’ rights, building, etc.)
In the text box, they should describe what the picture is and why/how it is important to the country’s government.
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59. Insta-Snaps Insta-Snaps Insta-Snaps Insta-Snaps
Directions: In the “snap box”, draw a picture to represent one important aspect of each country’s government. (It could be the government type, citizens’ rights, how leaders are elected, legislature’s role, etc.) In each caption box, describe what the picture is and how it is important to the country’s government. Don’t’ forget to include a hashtag for the most important part!
Insta-Snaps
Insta-Snaps
Insta-Snaps
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60. TEACHER INFO: Triple Venn Diagram
Print off the Venn Diagram for each student.
The students will work with partners to compare and contrast the three governments from this lesson.
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61. EUROPEAN GOVERNMENTS UK Germany Russia Compare and Contrast
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62. TEACHER INFO: Rate A Government
Print out the Rate a Government handout for each student.
The students will choose one of the 3 country’s governments and give it a review (similar to a book review on Amazon).
They will include a symbol, description, and two review from people who agree/disagree with the country’s government.
Project the directions slide on the next screen so that students know what goes in each section.
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63. Describe the key components of the country’s government.
Rate A Government
Country: __________________________
Government Description:
Describe the key components of the country’s government.
Symbol
Customer Reviews
Date: ___________
Date: ___________
By ___________ from ______________
By ___________ from ______________
What would someone who agrees with the country’s government say about it? How many stars would he give?
What would someone who disagrees with the country’s government say about it? How many stars would he give?
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64. Rate A Government Country: __________________________ Customer Reviews
Government Description:
Customer Reviews
Date: ___________
Date: ___________
By ___________ from ______________
By ___________ from ______________
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65. TEACHER INFO: Comprehension Check
Print off the Comprehension Check for each student.
The students will complete this handout at the end of the lesson. You can count this as a quiz!
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66. Comparing European Governments
1. Which part of government is responsible for making the laws for the United Kingdom?
2. Which house of the UK’s parliament has the most power?
3. How is the Prime Minister elected in the United Kingdom?
4. Describe the monarch’s role in the UK’s government:
5. How is the power divided in Germany’s government?
6. Why is Germany considered a parliamentary democracy?
7. Is the power in Russia’s government divided the same was as in the UK or in Germany?
8. What is the name for Russia’s chief executive?
9. In Russia, what office do the people elect—the president or prime minister?
10. How has the role of the citizens in Russia changed since the fall of Communism & the Soviet Union?
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Comparing European Governments
Comprehension Check

67. Comparing European Governments
1. Which part of government is responsible for making the laws for the United Kingdom?
Parliament
2. Which house of the UK’s parliament has the most power?
House of Commons
3. How is the Prime Minister elected in the United Kingdom?
The leader of the political party in the House of Commons with the most members
4. Describe the monarch’s role in the UK’s government:
Mostly ceremonial, power is limited by constitution
5. How is the power divided in Germany’s government?
Federal—shared between national and local governments
6. Why is Germany considered a parliamentary democracy?
Chancellor is elected by members of legislature
7. Is the power in Russia’s government divided the same was as in the UK or in Germany?
Germany—federal
8. What is the name for Russia’s chief executive?
President
9. In Russia, what office do the people elect—the president or prime minister?
10. How has the role of the citizens in Russia changed since the fall of Communism & the Soviet Union?
Can vote on leader, more personal freedoms, less censorship (mail, telephone, etc.)
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Comparing European Governments
Comprehension Check

68. TEACHER INFO: TICKET OUT THE DOOR
Print off the Crystal Ball handout for each student (two-per-page).
Have the students make predictions about each country’s economy based on what they learned about the country’s government.
Collect & read their responses and begin the next day’s lesson by sharing a few outloud.
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69. Crystal Ball Predictions Crystal Ball Predictions
Name:
Name:
Crystal Ball
Predictions
Crystal Ball
Predictions
Based on what we learned about UK, Germany, & Russia’s governments, what do you think each of their economies will be like?
Based on what we learned about UK, Germany, & Russia’s governments, what do you think each of their economies will be like?
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