Government is a system that gives a group the right to make and enforce laws. There are different forms of government based on who holds power and the structure of rule. Modern governments have roles like security, order, justice, welfare, regulation, and education. The main forms discussed are democracy, monarchy, theocracy, and dictatorship. Democracy gives supreme power to citizens through representation or direct voting. A monarchy has rule by a hereditary monarch, while a theocracy bases law on religion. A dictatorship concentrates absolute power in one leader. Economic systems like capitalism, socialism, and communism are also discussed in how private ownership and government control of production differ.

1. Forms of Government

2. Wait--What is government anyway? Government is a system of social control under which the right to make laws, and the right to enforce them, is given to a particular group in society. Government power can be held by one individual, a few, or a majority.

3. A little more about government…Governments come in different forms. The basic law determining the form of government is called the constitution and may be written, as in the United States, or largely unwritten, as in Great Britain.

4. A little more about government…Modern governments have many jobs including: providing for the security of their countrykeeping order establishing a system of justice so that people are treated fairlyproviding welfare services to those in needregulating the economy (we’ll get to economic systems in a bit!)establishing educational systems***In extreme cases of governmental regulation, every aspect of people's lives is controlled. This is called totalitarianism. Can you think of a novel that has a totalitarian government?

5. GovernmentWe distinguish between forms of government on the basis of its organizational structure and the degree of control exercised over the society.

6. Forms of GovernmentWe will be learning about the following forms of government:DemocracyMonarchyTheocracyDictatorshipTransitional

7. Economic SystemsAnd a few economic systems…because they are closely connected to governments!CapitalismSocialism Communism

8. Forms of Government

9. DemocracySupreme power is given to the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation.Democratic countries have free elections where all citizens have a vote.

10. DemocracyExamples of Democratic countries today:United States of AmericaPhilippines

11. MonarchyRule by a single person (a king or queen), who is the permanent head of state. The term is now used to refer to countries with hereditaryrulers. This means that rule is passed down from parent to child. Constitutional monarchies are more common today. Under this system, the powers of the king or queen are restricted to those granted in the constitution. Most constitutional monarchies use a parliamentary system in which the king or queen may have strictly ceremonial duties. They often have a elected prime minister who is the head of government.

12. MonarchyExamples of countries with monarchies today:Saudi ArabiaBruneiQatarOmanGreat Britain (Constitutional Monarchy)Australia (Constitutional Monarchy)Morocco (Constitutional Monarchy)Bhutan (Constitutional Monarchy—new!)

13. TheocracyIn a theocracy, government leaders are members of the clergy (church officials), and the state's legal system is based on religious law. Rulers are thought to be “divinely guided”.

14. TheocracyExamples of theocracies today:IranThe Vatican

15. DictatorshipA government in which a single leader or party exercises absolute control over all citizens and every aspect of their lives.In most cases, this absolute power is exercised in a cruel way.Other names for a dictatorship include: Autocracy, Military Junta, Right Wing, Authoritarianism, Totalitarianism or Fascism

16. Dictatorship Examples of Dictatorships today:North KoreaLibyaMyanmar (Burma)Sudan

17. TransitionalA transitional government is one that is in the process of changing from one form to anotherCountries with transitional governments are often unstable

18. TransitionalExamples of countries with transitional governments:AfghanistanIraq

19. Economic Systems Wait—what is economics about anyway?Economics has to do with the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services…**One minute table talk: What do the words production, distribution and consumption mean?

20. CapitalismAn economic system in which individuals and corporations are free to invest in and own all aspect of a business.In a capitalist country, people own their own companies and can manage them to earn a profit.

21. SocialismApolitical and economic system in which some businesses are controlled by the government rather than by individuals.In a socialist country, people have equal rights to various benefits (health, education), and there is an effort to limit the inequalities of wealth and power. Taxes are often quite high to provide for these benefits.People do hold private property in socialist countries.A country can be both socialist and democratic

22. CommunismA political and economic system in which the government controls all business.Individual people cannot own property or industries and in theory, people of all social classes are treated equally.Communist countries have totalitarian governments.All communists are socialists, but not all socialists are communists.

23. Think of it as a spectrum…Capitalism Socialism Communism_______________________________________United States Canada Sweden China Cuba North Korea

24. Still a little confused?Watch the brainpop on Communism for a bit more explanation…