1. Predominant Forms of Democratic Governments:
Compare & Contrast Various Forms of Government
Predominant Forms of Democratic Governments:
Sachin.B.V
Assistant Professor
Department of Political Science

2. Describe the two predominate forms of democratic governments: parliamentary and presidential.

3. The best way for citizens to participate in their government is by voting. Voting can take many forms. Citizens can vote directly for their leader and their lawmakers, or citizens can vote for their lawmakers and then give the lawmakers the power to appoint the leader. Both ways are considered democratic. The two types of democracy that we will study in the 6th grade are PARLIMENTARY and PRESIDENTIAL DEMOCRACIES

4. Review Question What are the two forms of democratic government?
Parliamentary and Presidential

5. Parliamentary Democracy May have a Prime Minister elected
Describe the two predominant forms of democratic government: parliamentary and presidential
Parliamentary Democracy
A system of government having the real executive power vested in a cabinet composed of members of the legislature who are individually and collectively responsible to the legislature.
May have a Prime Minister elected
by the legislature.
Example: United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany
Remy, Richard C., United States Government- Democracy in Action (Columbus, OH: Glencoe, McGraw-Hill, 2006)

6. Parliamentary Governments
a political system in which the legislature (parliament) selects the government - a prime minister, premier, or chancellor along with the cabinet ministers - according to party strength as expressed in elections; by this system, the government acquires a dual responsibility: to the people as well as to the parliament.
The majority party controls the government
Queen: Head of State
Cabinet Members
Prime Minister: Head of Government
Parliament

7. Review Question What is a parliamentary government?
A political system in which the legislature (parliament) selects the government

8. Presidential Democracy
Describe the two predominant forms of democratic government: parliamentary and presidential
Presidential Democracy
A system of government in which the president is constitutionally independent of the legislature.
The executive branch exists separately from the legislature (to which it is generally not accountable).
Example: Mexico, USA and Brazil
Remy, Richard C., United States Government- Democracy in Action (Columbus, OH: Glencoe, McGraw-Hill, 2006)

9. Presidential Governments
a system of government where the executive branch exists separately from a legislature (to which it is generally not accountable).
I’m elected by the people
We’re elected by the people
We are appointed by the president with the approval of congress.
The three branches of the U.S. government check and balance each other.

10. Review Question What is a presidential government?
A system of government in which the president is constitutionally independent of the legislature.

11. Rule of the People Democracy
A form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system.

12. There are two principles that any definition of democracy includes.
All members of the society have equal access to power 1
All members enjoy universally recognized freedoms and liberties. 2

13. Pillars of Democracy Copy this on your own paper.
Sovereignty of the people.
Government based upon consent of the governed.
Majority rule.
Minority rights.
Guarantee of basic human rights.
Free and fair elections.
Equality before the law.
Due process of law.
Constitutional limits on government.
Social, economic, and political pluralism.
Values of tolerance, pragmatism, cooperation, and compromise.
Copy this on your own paper.

14. Democracies fall into two basic categories, direct and representative.
Democracy
Direct
Representative

15. Direct Democracy
In a direct democracy, all citizens, can participate in making public decisions. This system is only practical with small numbers of people--in a community organization or tribal council, for example, where people can meet in a single room to discuss issues and arrive at decisions by consensus or majority vote.

16. Ancient Athens, the world's first democracy, managed to practice direct democracy with an assembly that may have numbered as many as 5,000 to 6,000 persons--perhaps the maximum number that can physically gather in one place and practice direct democracy.

17. Representative Democracy
Today, the most common form of democracy, whether for a town of 50,000 or nations of 50 million, is representative democracy, in which citizens elect officials to make political decisions, formulate laws, and administer programs for the public good.
an investment of time and energy that is often impractical for the vast majority of private citizens.

18. Separate institutions
Copy this graphic organizer on your own paper.
Democracy
Representative
Direct
Parliamentary
System
Presidential
System
Ancient Athens
New England
Town Halls
Power vested in
The legislature
Power vested in
Separate institutions
Native American
Societies
Prime Minister chosen
By the legislature
President chosen
By the people

19. Summary in a Democracy:
A president usually achieves power by being elected. A prime minister is usually appointed.
For example in Great Britain, the position of prime minister is appointed by the parliament.
Parliamentary appointment of the prime minister will be made by the party with the most members. Citizens vote for the party that they think will make the best choice for prime minister.

20. It is important to note that the UK is steeped in tradition and that the Queen is still a big part of their culture. She is considered the Head of State, while the Prime Minister is considered the Head of Government.
Also unlike the office of President in the United States, the executive powers of the Prime Minister in the UK fall under the legislative branch. In the US, the executive branch and the legislative branch are 2 separate entities.

21. Here is a sample ballot from the U. S
Here is a sample ballot from the U.S. You can see that the voters have the opportunity to vote for their leader (President) and their lawmakers (Congress-House of Representatives and Senate-aka Congress) directly. When people get to vote for their leaders directly, this type of Government is known as a Presidential Democracy.

22. Here is a sample Ballot from UK
Here is a sample Ballot from UK. You can see that the Leader (Prime Minister ) is not on the ballot. The people pick their Law Makers (House of Commons). The Party that wins the most votes in the House of Commons then appoints the Prime Minister. This type of leadership is known as a Parliamentary Democracy.
Note: In the UK Parliament consists of 2 Houses. The House of Commons who are elected by the people. The other ½ of Parliament is called the House of Lords, and is usually made up of experts who scrutinize the decisions of the House of Commons. Members in the House of Lords are usually appointed by the Queen.

23. Review Question
What is the difference between a parliamentary system and a presidential form of government?

24. Two forms of Democratic Government Question
In which system of government does the legislature elect the executive leader of the government?
Presidential democracy
Communist
Parliamentary democracy
dictatorship