2. ThreeSystems:
• Unitary – a strong central government
dominates any regional or state
governments
• Federal – central and state
governments share power equally
• Confederate – strong regional/state
governments dominate weak central
government
3. Unlimited Governments
• Governments that DO NOT
–follow any law that places limits on the
behavior of the rulers
–consider the needs of the people
–worry about violating the freedoms of
citizens.
4. One form of Unlimited Government:
Absolute Monarchy
• King or emperor inherits power
• Monarchs base their power on the idea
of divine right. Any revolt against the
monarch is regarded as sin against God
as well as treason.
6. One form of Unlimited Government:
Totalitarian Dictatorship
• The government, led by a glorified
single leader, seeks to control all
aspects of social and economic life.
• Dictators generally seize authority and
maintain their positions through the
ruthless use of military power.
8. One form of government that might be
called a dictatorship:
Communism
9. Communism: The Ideal
• Comes from the ideas of Karl Marx that all
human history is a class struggle between
workers and owners
• Communist ideal is that the workers would rise
up, property would all
be held in common and
there would be no need
for government.
10. Communism: The Reality
• Huge governments headed by officials of
Communist Party
• Government used secret
police to control citizens
• Developed privileged class
of government officials
• Most economic activity
under government control
• Few freedoms (speech and
religion suppressed)
11. Limited Governments
• Governments that
–abide by the laws of the land and
the plan of government
established by the people
–protect individual rights
–work to benefit the public good
12. Socialism
• Government control of the economy to
protect lower classes
• Government provides wide range of
services to the people free of charge
• Believes in redistributing income because
the wealthy have a moral obligation to help
the poor
• Emphasizes cooperation rather than
competition among people
13. Democracy
• Definition: form of government
in which supreme political
authority rests with the people.
• The government is conducted
only by and with the consent of
the governed.
14. Types of Democracy
1. Direct Democracy: All Citizens vote on
all major policy decisions. Generally
seen only in relatively small
communities.
2. Representative Democracy (Republic):
People select others to
represent them in a
governing body. This IS a
form of democracy!
16. Who Has the Power?
It is more complicated than just “the people.”
17. ParticipatoryDemocracy
–Citizens participate in the political
process, through voting and protest
–Majority rules
–Although individual Americans may
have only limited knowledge or
interest in government, the public as
a whole is assumed to have coherent
and stable opinions on major policy
questions
18. Elitist Democracy
–Powerful elite makes most of the
major decisions: primarily corporate
leaders, top military officers and a
handful of key political leaders
–Elite enjoy great advantages in
wealth, status or organizational
position. They act in concert, and the
policies they make serve the interests
of the elite, not the people
20. PluralistDemocracy
– Policies are the outcome of a complex
pattern of political haggling, compromise,
shifting alliances
– Even though power is not distributed
equally, it is divided among so many
different groups (business people,
politicians, union leaders, journalists,
bureaucrats, professors, environmentalists,
lawyers) that many players have a chance
to affect the outcome of decisions (so no
one gets too much power)
21. Hyper-Pluralism
• An extreme, exaggerated, or perverted
form of pluralism
• Too many groups with different amounts
of power and with opposing agendas try
to influence the government
• The government cannot represent
everyone’s needs and becomes
paralyzed
• Leads to gridlock, nothing gets done
