Different forms of government

1. DIFFERENT FORMS
OF GOVERNMENT

2. ■Government comprises the set of legal
and political institutions that regulate
the relationships among members of a
society and between the society and
outsiders.These institutions have the
authority to make decisions for the
society on policies affecting the
maintenance of order and the
achievement of certain societal goals.

3. ■This Lesson provides an overview
of the types of government, the
ways authority can be distributed,
the divisions of government, and
the functions of government.
Separate articles deal with the
origins and development of the
concept of the state, the
theoretical and practical
development of representation,
law, and the study of government.

4. ■The power of a government over its
own citizens varies, depending on the
degree to which it is free of limitations
and restraints.The power of a
government abroad also varies,
depending on the human and material
resources with which it can support its
foreign policy. Governments range in
size and scope from clans, tribes, and
the shires of early times to the
superpowers and international
governments of today.

5. ■ Until recent times some governments were
strong enough to establish empires that
ruled not only their own people but other
peoples and states across national, ethnic,
and language boundaries.The present-day
counterpart of the empire is the
superpower that is able to lead or
dominate other countries through its
superior military and economic strength.
Within the modern nation-state,
government operates at many different
levels, ranging from villages to cities,
counties, provinces, and states.

6. FORMS OF
GOVERNMENT

7. Monarchy
■ The most common form of government from ancient times to the
early part of the 20th century was monarchy, or rule by a
hereditary king or queen. Monarchy passed through three basic
stages, varying according to the nation and the political and
economic climate.The first stage was that of the absolute
monarch. In the Christian part of the world during the Middle
Ages, a conflict developed between the pope and the kings who
recognized his spiritual authority.The pope wanted to expand the
power of the church beyond spiritual matters to include the
temporal realm. But some kings proclaimed that God had given
them the right to rule, and by proclaiming this divine right they
were able to give legitimacy to their reigns and limit the pope's
power.

8. Two types of Monarchy
Absolute Monarchy
King Abdullah of Saudi
Arabia
Constitutional Monarchy
Queen Elizabeth II of Unite
Kingdom

9. Communism
■ In its purest form, Communism refers to the idea of common,
public ownership of the economy, including infrastructure,
utilities, and means of production. Communism, as idealized by
thinkers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, denotes an absence of
class divisions, which inherently requires the subversion of the
ruling class by the working class. As such, communism often
incorporates the idea of revolutionary action against unequal rule.
Communism often positions itself as a counterpoint to the
economic stratification underlying capitalism.This resistance to
stratification sometimes also takes the form of a single-state
authority, one in which political opposition or dissidence may be
restricted.This may manifest in some communist states as a more
authoritarian form of governance, as typified by the Soviet brand
of communism that swept the globe during the mid-20th century.

10. Communist Countries
People’s Republic of China
Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea

11. Presidential System
■ The presidential system is a form of government in
which the president is the chief executive and is
elected directly by the people. In this system all three
branches – executive, legislative, and judiciary – are
constitutionally independent of each other, and no
branch can dismiss or dissolve any other. The
president is responsible for enforcing laws, the
legislature for making them, and the courts for
judging. Each is given specific powers to check and
balance the others.

12. Countries that have Presidential System
United States of America Philippines

13. Parliamentary
■ A parliamentary system of government means that the executive branch of
government has the direct or indirect support of the parliament.This support
is usually shown by a vote of confidence.The relationship between the
executive and the legislature in a parliamentary system is called responsible
government.
■ The separation of powers between the executive and law making branches is
not as obvious as it is in a presidential system.There are different ways of
balancing power between the three branches which govern the country (the
executive (or ministers), the law makers and the judges).
■ Parliamentary systems usually have a head of government and a head of state.
They change after their terms are over.The head of government is the prime
minister, who has the real power.The head of state may be an elected
president or, in the case of a constitutional monarchy, hereditary.

14. Some of the Parliament Leaders
Canadian Prime Minister
JustinTrudeau
German Chancellor
Angela Merkel

15. Republicanism
■ Republic, form of government in which a state is ruled by
representatives of the citizen body. Modern republics are
founded on the idea that sovereignty rests with the people,
though who is included and excluded from the category of
the people has varied across history. Because citizens do not
govern the state themselves but through representatives,
republics may be distinguished from direct democracy,
though modern representative democracies are by and large
republics.The term republic may also be applied to any form
of government in which the head of state is not a hereditary
monarch.

16. Democracy
■ Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens
have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives.
Democracy allows people to participate equally—either directly or
through elected representatives—in the proposal, development,
and creation of laws. It encompasses social, economic, and
cultural conditions that enable the free and equal practice of
political self-determination.The term originates from the Greek
word: δημοκρατία (dēmokratía), which translates to “rule of the
people”.This term was used around 400 BCE to denote the
political systems then existing in Greek city-states, notably
Athens.

17. Totalitarianism
■ Totalitarianism, form of government that theoretically
permits no individual freedom and that seeks to
subordinate all aspects of individual life to the authority
of the state. Italian dictator Benito Mussolini coined the
term totalitario in the early 1920s to characterize the new
fascist state of Italy, which he further described as “all
within the state, none outside the state, none against the
state.” By the beginning ofWorld War II, totalitarian had
become synonymous with absolute and oppressive
single-party government.

18. Totalitarian Leaders…
Adolf Hitler Joseph Stalin

19. Dictatorship
■ Dictatorship, form of government in which one person or a small
group possesses absolute power without effective constitutional
limitations.The term dictatorship comes from the Latin title
dictator, which in the Roman Republic designated a temporary
magistrate who was granted extraordinary powers in order to deal
with state crises. Modern dictators, however, resemble ancient
tyrants rather than ancient dictators. Ancient philosophers’
descriptions of the tyrannies of Greece and Sicily go far toward
characterizing modern dictatorships. Dictators usually resort to
force or fraud to gain despotic political power, which they
maintain through the use of intimidation, terror, and the
suppression of basic civil liberties.They may also employ
techniques of mass propaganda in order to sustain their public
support.

20. Some of the few dictators
Muammar Gaddafi Saddam Hussein

21. Federalism
■ Federal systems also include autonomous local governments
such as county governments and municipal governments — in
cities, boroughs, townships, and villages local governments
may stand in a relationship to their state governments that
corresponds to that of state governments with the national
government.The citizens in each jurisdiction elect many of
the public officials. In addition, certain special districts exist
with a single function, such as education or sanitation, and
have their own elected officials.

22. FEDERALISM INTHE
PHILIPPINES
A Primer

24. DIFFERENT FORMS
OF GOVERNMENT
END!