1. Chapter 1: Americans, Citizens, and Government
Lesson 4: Forms of Government

2. Functions of Government
Keep Order
Pass and enforce laws to deter crime
Establish courts
Provide Services
Protect public health
Protect public safety
Provide public welfare
Provide Security
Establish armed forces
Protect citizens from foreign attacks
Guide the Community
Develop public policy
Public Policy: the decisions and actions a government takes to solve problems in the community
Manage the economy
Conduct foreign relations

3. Levels of Government Federal Government Makes laws for the nation
Mates rules for citizenship
Oversees foreign policy, elections, and the military
State Government
Makes laws for the state
Sets up local government
Oversees education and public health
Local Government
Runs parishes, cities, and towns
Provides schools and police and fire departments
Provides road maintenance, pest control, trash collection, and other services

4. Democratic Government
Direct Democracy: all citizens met to discuss government matters and vote to decide what to do
Works best with small communities
Representative Democracy: a government in which citizens choose a smaller group to govern on their behalf
Two kind
Republics: citizens have a role in choosing the person who will be the head of the government or head of state
Constitutional Monarchy: monarchy in which the power of the hereditary ruler is limited by the country’s constitution and laws
Monarchy: ruled by a king or queen
Based on Majority Rules, or the political principle providing that a majority of the members of a community has the power to make laws binding upon all the people

5. Authoritarian Government
Authoritarian Government: a government in which one leader or group of people holds absolute power
Examples
Autocracy- absolute monarchies
Dictatorship
Dictators take power by force
Totalitarian State
Totalitarian: describes a system in which government control extends to almost all aspects of people’s lives
Ideology: a body of ideas about life and society
Socialism: a system in which society either directly or indirectly through the government, controls all aspects of the economy

6. Systems of Government
Federal Systems: the power is divided between central, national government and smaller self-governing political units such as states
United States, Germany, Brazil and India
Unitary Systems: central government is supreme and smaller administrative units carry out some of the functions and are not protected by the constitution
France, Japan, and Great Britain