1. Forms of Government
Chapter 1, Section 2

2. Classification
Governments are classified by the way in which they answer three main questions:
Who can participate?
What is the Geographic distribution of power?
What is the relationship between the Legislative and Executive branches?

3. Who Can Participate? Democracy Dictatorship
The people hold the supreme, sovereign power. The government is there only with the consent of the people.
Every citizen is allowed participate in The governmental process in some fashion.
Dictatorship
Power to rule rests in the hands of one person, or a small group of people.

4. Types of Democracy Direct Democracy (also known as pure democracy)
Everyone votes on everything.
Majority rules.
Indirect Democracy (also known as representative democracy)
Citizens elect a small group of people to to make decisions for them.
This is what the United States is.

5. Dictatorship Autocracy Oligarchy One person holds unlimited power.
Ex. North Korea, Iraq before the U.S. unseated Saddam Hussein.
Oligarchy
Power is held by a small group of elites.
Ex. Nazi Germany, China

6. What is the Geographic distribution of power?
Unitary governments have one main seat of government.
Note - All dictatorships are unitary governments
Federal governments have a central government with powers reserved to regional governments.
Confederate Governments have little or no central power and very strong regional governments.

7. What is the relationship between the Legislative and Executive branches?
The Legislative branch is the group of people that are elected in a representative democracy to create laws.
The Executive branch is the person and his or her agencies that are in charge of enforcing the laws made by the legislature.

8. Parliamentary
In a Parliamentary form of government, the executive is a member of the legislature.
He or she is elected by the other members of the legislative branch.
They are normally referred to as a prime minister.
Ex. The United Kingdom

9. Presidential
In a presidential government, the executive is an elected citizen and cannot be a member of the legislature at the same time.
The executive a legislative branches are completely separate and, at times, work against each other.
The executive is normally called the president.
Ex. The United States of America