This document discusses different forms of government. It describes the three main types of government as autocracy, oligarchy, and democracy, based on who rules and citizen participation. It then examines specific forms of autocracy like dictatorship, absolute monarchy, and constitutional monarchy. Oligarchy is defined as rule by a small dominant group. Democracy is defined as rule by the people, with direct and representative forms. The two main systems of democratic government are also outlined as parliamentary and presidential.

1. Forms of Governments

2. To study governments, geographers
look at the following:
Types – Who rules and who
participates.
Systems – How the power is
distributed.

3. Types of Government are based on
one key question: Who governs and
what is the citizen participation?
There are three types of governments:
 Autocracy,
Oligarchy, and Democracy

4. Autocracy
Government in which the power to
govern is held by one person.
Generally the power to rule is inherited
or by military force.
There are three
types of Autocracy.

5. #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

6. #2 Absolute
Monarchy
A monarchy has a king, queen,
emperor or empress.
The power is usually inherited or
passed down from family members.
The monarch has absolute power
meaning they can make all decisions
without consulting anyone.

7. #3 Constitutional Monarchy
Kings, queens or emperors share
power with elected legislatures.
Generally the Kings are norhing more
than figureheads.
The government is a democratic one
that limits the monarchs power.
Example: Great Britain

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.
Elections may be held but offer
only one candidate.
Examples: Greek city states

9. Democracy
In a democracy, the government is
“Rule by the people”
There are two forms of democracy
 Direct
Democracy – People vote on all the
issues.
 Representative Democracy – People elect
representatives and give them the power to
vote on issues.
 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. Democratic Governments
There are two major forms of
democratic governments:
 Parliamentary
 Presidential

12. Parliamentary Democracy
Voters elect members to the Parliament
(legislature)
Parliament has two Houses:
House of Commons: The Political Party with the
most votes in the House of Commons chooses the
Prime Minister, the government’ s leader with no
set length of term.
 House of Lords: Little power with most members
being nobles having inherited their titles


13. Presidential Democracy
Voters elect legislators
Voters elect (indirectly) the president.
 Therefore,
in the presidential system voters
have a more direct say about those who
serve in two branches of the government :
 Legislative
 Executive

14. Presidential System
Executive
Executive
Elec t
Legislative
Elect
Legislative
t
t
Elec
Elec
Select
Parliamentary
System
Citizens
Citizens

15. Systems of Government are based
on one question: How is the
power distributed?
There are three ways governments
distribute power:
 Unitary
 Confederation
 Federal

16. Unitary
One central government controls
everything.
Power is not shared between states,
counties or provinces.
Examples : United Kingdom, France,
the Netherlands, and Spain

17. Confederation
A voluntary association of independent states
that agrees to follow a powerful central
government.
Nations can choose to follow or not follow the
lead of the weak central government.
Examples: Confederate States of America
( 1861-1865), Russian Federation.

18. Federal
Power is shared by a powerful central
government.
States or provinces are given
considerable self rule, usually through
their own legislatures.
Examples: United States, Germany

19. Putting it all together….
The United Kingdom is an autocratic
constitutional monarchy with a
parliamentary democracy and a unitary
system.
The United States is a presidential
democracy with a federal system.
What do those statements
mean?

20. What do you remember?
What are the three types of
governments?
What are the three systems of
government?

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