1. Comparative Government

2. What is a state? There are four key characteristics of a state
Can you guess what they are?

3. Population Territory Sovereignty Government
living in a defined space,
a body of people,
Sovereignty
Government
and with an organization to do this.
with the power to make and enforce laws without having to check with any higher authority,

4. Purposes of Government
Maintain social order
Provide social services
Provide national security & defense
Provide & control economic system

5. TYPES OF GOVERNMENT

6. SOURCE OF AUTHORITY WHERE DOES GOVERNMENT GET ITS POWER?

7. Who Rules?
Forms of Government

8. Forms of Government President or King?
When people decide to form the social contracts that we call governments, they make many different decisions about how their government will look.
President or King?
Rule by few or rule by all?
Hold elections?
Where do the rulers get their power?

9. DEMOCRACY Political Power is controlled by the people Direct Democracy
Republic
Basic Principles:
All individuals are equal
Majority rule with respect to minority rights
Compromise is necessary
individual freedom

10. DIRECT DEMOCRACY Who rules? ALL the people
People vote directly on issues
No examples today
(ancient Greece)

11. REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY
Who rules?
Elected representatives
Repres. responsible to the people through elections
Held accountable by a Constitution
USA

12. Let’s Review
DEMOCRACY!

13. The two forms of democracy are __________ and ___________________.
direct
representative

14. In a democracy, all __________ participate in government.
citizens

15. All citizens vote on everything in a ___________________
direct democracy

16. In a direct democracy, there are no ________________ in the government.
representatives

17. In a representative democracy, the representatives answer to the people through ____________________.
regular elections

18. AUTOCRACY:
A form of government in which political power is controlled by one individual such as a monarch, dictator, emperor, etc

19. MONARCHY Absolute Monarchy Constitutional Monarchy
Power is inherited through the family
One ruler
King, Queen, Emperor, Tsar
Absolute Monarchy
Complete, unlimited power
Ex: Saudi Arabia, Louis XIV of France
Constitutional Monarchy
limited power, ceremonial leader, laws passed by “Parliament”
Ex: Great Britain

20. DICTATORSHIP Power is achieved and maintained through force
Political and/or military power
Dictators have absolute control over the lives of their citizens and usually people are not allowed to voice their negative opinions

21. Authoritarian: one person or small groups that is not constitutionally accountable to the people and individual freedom is completely subordinate to the state
Example: Spain under Franco
Totalitarian: state holds total authority over the society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life wherever possible
Example: Mussolini; North Korea

22. Oligarchy “Rule by few” Power can be based on several things:
Military strength = Military Junta
Family power = Aristocracy
Religious control = Theocratic Oligarchy
Oligarchies can often come from or lead to other forms of government (like autocracies)

23. Theocracy
“Theo” means “god” in Greek… so if a government is THEO-cratic that means it is ruled by… a god or higher power!
Leaders (autocratic or oligarchic) are usually religious leaders and society uses religious law to settle its disputes
Example: The Islamic Republic of Iran is a modern theocracy that uses the holy Islamic book, The Qur’an, as its guide.

24. DISTRIBUTION OF POWER Where is the POWER located?

25. UNITARY SYSTEM Central government holds all legal power
Local government has no independent power
Carries out decisions made by the central government
Ex: Japan

26. FEDERAL SYSTEM National, State, and Local governments share power
All levels have the power to established their own laws, elect officials, and create agencies
Ex: USA

27. CONFEDERAL SYSTEM Independent states join together
Weak Central organization, Stronger States
Central organization carries out policies made by representatives
Ex: Confederate States of America, UN

28. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEGISLATIVE AND EXECUTIVE

29. PRESIDENTIAL Executive (Pres) is separate from Legislative (Congress)
Ex: USA

30. PARLIAMENTARY Executive AND Legislative powers are given to Parliament
Leader of the Parliament becomes the Executive (Prime Minister)
Ex: Great Britain

31. PRESIDENTIAL
LEGISLATIVE
VOTERS
EXECUTIVE

32. PARLIAMENTARY
LEGISLATIVE
VOTERS
EXECUTIVE

33. Characteristics of the State
Population
Territory
Sovereignty
Government