American Government

I.

Principles of Government Section 2: Forms of Government

Objectives

    Classify governments according to three sets of characteristics.

Define systems of government based on who can participate.

Identify different ways that power can be distributed, geographically, within a state.

Describe a government by the distribution of power between the executive branch and legislative branch

Bellringer

         Students, come up to the board and circle which term applies to the US government.

Direct democracy Indirect democracy Dictatorship Unitary government Federal government Confederation Presidential government Parliamentary government

Democracy – who governs?

Direct Democracy

-Pure democracy -People directly influence policy -Works well on small, local level -Town halls

Indirect Democracy

-Representative Democracy -Sometimes called republic -Group chosen by the people, express the will of the people -Used in bigger areas -United States - What are the good things about democracy?

- What are the bad things about democracy?

- “government of the people, by the people, for the people” Democracy: supreme political authority rests with the people

Dictatorships

Autocracy

A government where a single person holds power.

Oligarchy

A government where a small group, usually self appointed. An elite class Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Mussolini, Muammar Al-Qaddafi

Authoritarian

China Dictator holds absolute power - All dictators are absolute

Totalitarian

Dictator takes over every aspect of human affairs.

- religion, job, clothing, marriage, more examples?

Geographic Distribution of Power

Unitary Federal Confederate

Power is located in a central form of government - There is no local or small local control Great Britain Federal/central/national government shares power with the states/local United States, Canada, Germany, India, Mexico The states or local levels have independent power from the Central government. They don’t have to listen to them but work together on some issues, foreign policy and foreign defense European Union, Confederate States of America, Articles of Confederation EU – is a 27 member confederacy in Europe that has a common currency, and is currently trying to coordinate members foreign and defense policies. The United States of Europe?

United States – duh!

Western Hemisphere only -We invented it.

-Can get gridlock – but have checks and balances

United Kingdom – duh!

Germany, Israel, Japan -Executive and Legislative Branch work well – no gridlock - less checks and balances

Review