1. Forms of Governments

2. Who needs government? Imagine a world with no governments! No rules, no taxes, no leaders, no protection, Awesome, right? What are your thoughts? OK, so we need governments. Let’s take a look at how some of them work.

3. To study governments, we look at the following: How do the citizens participate in their government? How the power is distributed (divided) between the central government and the regional governments?

4. How do the citizens participate in their government? There are three ways that people participate in their government. Autocracy, Oligarchy, and Democracy

5. Autocracy Government in which the power to govern is held by one person. I Just Can't Wait To Be King Generally the power to rule is inherited or by military force. The people do not participate. They obey the rules. There are two forms of autocracies.

6. #1 Dictatorship The leader has not been elected and uses force to control all aspects of social and economic life. Examples: Adolf Hitler in Germany and Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union

7. #2 Absolute Monarchy A monarchy has a king, queen, emperor or empress. The power is usually inherited or passed down from family members. We call this the “blood line.” The monarch has absolute power. Therefore, the people do not get to participate. The people simply obey the rules. Example: Czar Nicholas II

8. Oligarchy A government in which a few people such as a dominant clan or clique have power. The group gets their power from either military, wealth or social status. The people do not participate. The people obey the rules. Examples: Greek city states

9. Democracy In a democracy, the government is “rule by the people.” The people participate by voting. They must also obey the rules. There are two forms of democracy: Direct Democracy – People vote on all the issues. What a bother!! Representative Democracy – People elect representatives and give them the power to vote on issues. That’s easier than voting on every issue. Example: United States

10. In a democracy…. Individual freedom and equality is valued. Free elections are held. Decisions are based on majority rule. All candidates can express their views freely. Citizens vote by secret ballot.

11. Your Turn! Autocracy, Oligarchy, & Democracy - YouTube Use your packet to construct a creative chart showing the three ways governments allow (or not) their citizens to participate in their government. You might start by writing the three types across the top of your paper.