1. Systems and Types of Government

2. What is a system of government?  A system of government is how power is divided between national and state government

3. Systems of Government  Confederate System – a loose union of independent states  Advantage – protects state’s rights  Disadvantage – weak central government  Why is this a problem?

4. Systems of Government  Federal System – divides the power of government between states and central government  Advantage – balance of power between central & state government  Disadvantage – slows the progression of legislation  Why is this a problem?

5. Systems of Government  Unitary system – gives all major powers to the central government  The central government has the power to overrule state and local governments and give them limited sovereignty.  Sovereignty means – legal authority in an area  Advantage – strong central government, legislation can be passed quickly  Disadvantage – states have limited, to no power  What is the problem  What system does the United States have?

6. Types of Government  Limited Government (restricted) – any type of government in which rule is by the people  Democracy – is any system of government in which rule is by the people.  Direct Democracy – people govern themselves by voting directly on individual issues.  Advantage: Citizen’s opinions are directly heard.  Disadvantage: too difficult to work on a large scale

7. Types of Government  Representative Democracy – the people elect individuals who then represent them by voting on laws  Advantage: Ensures that the opinions of individual citizens are represented.  Disadvantage: There is no guarantee that the representative’s votes will reflect the wishes of their voters.  Parliamentary Democracy – executive and legislative functions both reside in the elected assembly, or parliament.  Members are elected to Parliament, then the members of Parliament elect a member to the executive branch.

8. Types of Government  Unlimited government (powerful): any type of government in which the power and authority to rule are in the hands of a supreme ruler.  Also known as an Authoritarian Government  Dictator – one person in total power  Monarchy – ruler born into power (king or queen)  Absolute Monarchy – ruler has complete and total control  Constitutional Monarchy – share power with elected legislature (THIS IS A LIMITED GOVERNMENT)  Oligarchy – small group of rulers that share power