This illustrated lesson includes student questions and activities.

1. How People are Governed:
Past and Present
A Common Core Unit
By: Dean Berry, Ed. D.
Gregg Berry, B.A.

2. Governments
Through the Ages

3. Part One
View, Read, and Think

4. For thousands of years people
have lived under different
types of governments.

5. Most of the time, people were ruled by the
most powerful and influential family in the
village. As larger cities developed, these
families became more powerful and added
large military forces. As time went by, rulers
passed their power down to their heirs.

6. Class Discussion
Do you know what a monarchy
is?
What is a “royal family”?
Can a monarchy also be a
democracy?

8. For the last six thousand years of
recorded history, governments
have been controlled by one
individual or a very small group.
These leaders have gone by several
different titles.

9. Discuss
How many different titles of
rulers with complete power can
you name?

11. Ancient Egyptians were
ruled by Pharaohs who had
absolute power over all of
the people. The Pharaoh’s
word was law.

13. KingTutankhamenruled Egyptas pharaohfor10 years
untilhis deathat age19. How would you like to
have a 10 year old making and enforcing all of
yourlaws?

14. Pharaohs like Tutankhamun used their
power and wealth to build huge
pyramids and elaborate gold masks to
ensure a safe entry into the afterlife.

15. During the Middle Ages,
areas of Europe were ruled
by powerful lords who built
castles and fortresses to
protect their kingdoms.

16. The system of
government used by
lords was referred to as
feudalism.

18. Powerfullords built castlesthat were surroundedby
moats with drawbridgesthatcouldberaised when
enemies wereattacking.

19. Thelordofthecastleandhisnoblesandknightswerewell
protectedwhenthebridgewasdrawn.Theserfsandtheir
familiesweremuchless protectedonthefarmlandthat
surroundedtheouterareasofthemanor.

20. The Castle and surrounding land
was called the manor and
provided fields and living
quarters for those who lived
under the control of the lord.

22. Under feudalism
everyone provided a
service to the lord and his
manor and received
protection in return.

24. Class Discussion
Other than the lord, who had the best deal
under feudalism?
Who had the worst deal under feudalism?
Whose job was the most dangerous?

25. In many parts of the world people
lived in small villages and lacked
protection from invaders.
Often times, powerful leaders with
small armies took over areas and
charged taxes for protection.
These lords fought with each other
over territory.

27. If a War Lord gained power over
a very large area, he could,
become King and pass control on
to his heirs.
As king and queens became more
powerful they exerted total control
over their kingdom.

28. The Kings in Europe wanted absolute
power to reign over their empires.
The people in England wanted a
representative group called Parliament to
have more power than the monarchy. It
took hundreds of years for the people in
England to wrest power from the
monarchy.

29. Kings and queens used their large
armies to keep all of the governing
power under their control.

30. During the last 200 years many
countries have been ruled by
generals who used their military
forces to control the population.

31. During the early twentieth century,
most countries in the world were
ruled by military dictators.

32. GeneralIdiAminofUgandabrutallyruledfrom1972 until
1979. Hemurderedover250,000 ofhisownpeoplewho
disagreedwithhispolicies.

34. Discuss
Why do people live in a country ruled by a
dictator?
What can people do to change from a dictatorship
to a democracy?
Why do many countries remain dictatorships
today?

35. In the 1700’s and 1800’s new inventions
enabled some countries to create
industries with products that could be
traded to other countries.
Smaller and weaker countries were often
controlled as colonies so their raw
materials could be traded to the more
powerful countries.

36. Some countries became colonies and
were governed by more powerful
countries that were far away. People in
colonies rarely had any individual rights
or participation in their government.

38. During the 20th century some European
countries rallied around strong leaders
and strong cultural values.
They developed a powerful sense of
pride and felt their country was always
right and needed to be protected from
other countries.

39. National pride was a powerful tool
that many military leaders used to
rally their population to support
aggressive action against other
countries.

41. Class Discussion
Is your country always
right?
Does your country ever make mistakes?
Can you support your country but disagree
about some things your government does?
What do you think about the idea of “my
country right or wrong”?

42. The feeling of nationalism
spawned different ideas about
how countries should be
governed.

44. Adolph Hitler led
Germany during the
1930’s and helped create
intense nationalism that led
to a fascist style
government.

46. Adolph Hitler murdered over six million people as
partof the holocaust in Germany.

47. Discuss
Who controlled the government
under Hitler’s fascism?
Were minority rights and views protected in Nazi
Germany?
Under fascism who made the major
social, economic, and political
decisions for the citizens of
Germany?

48. Adolph Hitler is generally considered
the most brutal dictator in history.

49. During this same time
period, Russia and China
turned to a new style of
governing called
communism.

51. Discuss
Who should decide what news is broadcast on
television and the internet?
Who should decide which career you choose?
Should people be paid the same even if they
have lower skills and less training than others?

52. The three faces of communism in
Russia and China were Karl Marx,
Vladimir Lenin, and Mao Zedong.

53. Today, North Korea, a communist
government, makes all citizens who
meet the age requirement serve in the
army.

55. The freedoms we enjoy today have only
been around for the last 200 years.
Throughout history most people lived with
no freedom at all.
Small steps toward democratic freedoms
occurred periodically.

56. The first ideas about the need for laws
evolved in the Middle East under
Hammurabi’s Code of Laws over
3,500 years ago. Then, twenty five hundred
years ago the Greeks came up with the
idea of representative government
.But democracy took another 2,000 years
and much blood shed to be adopted.

57. Today, many countries in the world enjoy
democracy.
But democracy took hundreds of years
to be tested and refined before it was
utilized as a common form of government.
England and the United States led the way
for this new form of government.

58. Class Discussion
Why do you think it is so difficult for
countries to develop representative
forms of government?
What has to happen for a
dictatorship to become a democracy?

59. Evolution of Democracy
1500 B.C.- Hammurabi code of Laws
500 B.C.- Democracy in Athens
250 B.C.- Senate in Rome
1215 A.D.- Magna Carta in England
1688 A.D.- Parliament in England
1789- Constitution in America

60. The U.S. Constitution was written over
215 years ago and is the basis for our
democratic form of government.

61. The roots of democracy took
hold over 300 years ago.
In 1688, England took a big step toward reducing the
power of the monarchy by establishing a parliament
that provided representative government.
Almost a hundred years later, the United States wrote
a constitution that provided the framework for a
democratic government.

62. It took a revolution and
separation from England
to bring democracy to
the United States.

63. In 1776, the United States broke
away from England and wrote the
Declaration of Independence.

65. While the French revolution was,at times, very
bloody, manyideas aboutfreedom anddemocracy
were advocated by FrenchPhilosopherslike
Montesquieu and Rousseau.

66. The Impact of French Philosophers
Montesquieu presented the concept of
“checks and balances” to spread power
within a government. Our three branches of
government are based on this important idea.
In addition, Rousseau wrote the “Social
Contract” in which he advocated the belief that
sovereignty and the power to govern should
reside in the hands of the people.

67. AlthoughtheFrench Revolution beganjustasthe
American Revolution concluded,Frenchphilosophers
providedideasthathelpedformthebasisforAmerican
democracy.

68. As Americans, we have a United
States Constitution, Bill of
Rights, and freedom to vote for
our government officials.
If we do not like our leaders, we
can toss them out of office and
elect new leaders.

69. Class Discussion
Why is it important to have a
written constitution?
How might things be different if
we did not have a constitution?

71. Check-up and Review
Raise your green card if you believe the statement is
true or your red card if you think it is false.

72. True or False-1
Dictators, emperors, pharaohs, and
kings were similar in that they
made all the major decisions for
their countries.

73. True-1

74. True or False-2
Under feudalism most people
were serfs (peasants) who worked
the land for the lord but had no
individual rights or freedoms.

75. True-2

76. True or False-3
Throughout history most Kings
had parliament so they could
share the power of governing
with elected representatives.

77. False-3

78. True or False-4
During the 1700’s and 1800’s countries
such as England, Spain, France, and
others established colonies that provided
important trading advantages and good
sources of natural resources.

79. True-4

80. True or False-5
Communism and Fascism were
similar types of governments in that
they both resulted in the total
control of society by the
government.

81. True-5

82. True or False-6
Most countries that used a communist style of
government have been very successful
because the government encouraged new
businesses, innovations, and the opportunity
to make profit by working hard.

83. False-6

84. True or False-7
The first attempt at
democracy began in Athens,
Greece about 2500 years ago.

85. True-7

86. True or False-8
The first major attempt to
reduce the power of kings was
called the Glorious Revolution
of 1688 in England.

87. True-8

88. True or False-9
Under democracy citizens are able
to vote for their representatives in
government and rarely need a
written constitution.

89. False-9

90. True or False-10
Under feudalism the lord
needed knights to protect the
castle and the manor from
invading armies.

91. True-10

92. Government Test 1
1. Generals who fight with each other for control of
territory within a country.
2. The government controls the economy and political
decisions in a country.
3. Rule by the Elite and Superior where the majority
dominates the minority.
4. A government that encourages many differences
and opinions.
5. Ruled and controlled by a mother country.

93. Government Test 2
1. A military dictatorship usually has a written
constitution to protect human rights.
2. Under feudalism the Knights control the Lords and
Vassals.
3. Under Communism the government controls all
information and decides what jobs are best for
people.
4. Under feudalism the Lords own the land and the
Serfs work the land.
5. Communism and Fascism encourage personal
freedoms and individual rights.