The document discusses different forms of government, focusing on types (who rules and participates), systems (how power is distributed), and the main types - autocracy (rule by one), oligarchy (rule by a small group), and democracy (rule by the people). Democracies can be direct, with citizens voting on all issues, or representative, where citizens elect representatives to vote on issues. Examples of representative democracies include parliamentary systems like the UK and presidential systems like the US.

1. Types of Governments

2. Who Rules?
Forms of Government

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

4. 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

5. 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.

6. #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

7. #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.

8. #3 Constitutional Monarchy
Kings, queens or emperors share power
with elected legislatures.
Generally the Kings are nothing more
than figureheads.
The government is a democratic one
that limits the monarchs power.
Example: Great Britain

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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.

12. Democratic Governments
There are two major forms of
democratic governments:
 Parliamentary
 Presidential

13. 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

14. 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

15. Parliamentary
System
Presidential System
Executive Legislative
Citizens
Citizens
Legislative
Executive
Elect
Select

16. 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?

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

18. Oligarchy Autocracy Democracy
Who is in power Small group of
people
One person Group of people
How they get
their power
Power, wealth,
force, political
influence
Military force,
influence, wealth,
bloodline
Voice of the
people (usually
election)
How power
changes
Coup d'état,
revolution
Coup d'état,
death of leader,
revolution
elections
Examples Apartheid in
South Africa
Cuba Mexico, Brazil,
United States

19. Federal Government

20. Unitary Government

21. Confederation Government
National
Government
State
Government

22. Presidential Democracy

23. Parliamentary Democracy
People
Prime
Minister
Parliament

24. Democracy
A B
Rule by
everyone
Rule by no
one

25. Direct Democracy
A B
Citizens elect
people to vote
All citizens vote
on everything

26. Representative Democracy
A B
Representatives
are appointed
Representatives
are elected

27. Autocracy
A B
Rule by one Rule by few

28. Monarchy
A B
Never have
constitutions
Power is
inherited

29. Dictatorship
A B
Always
protect
freedom of
speech
Have total
control

30. Fill in the blanks to review
DEMOCRACY!

31. The two forms of democracy
are
__________ and
___________________.

32. In a democracy, all
__________ participate in
government.

33. All citizens vote on
everything in a
______________________.

34. In a direct democracy, there
are no ________________
in the government.

35. In a representative
democracy, the
representatives answer to
the people through
______________________.