Systems of GovernmentsNAME:____________________________MODS:____________________________WORLD CIVILIZATIONS: __________________

Ohio Content Standards

GovernmentSystems ofGovernment

1. Explain how various systems of governments acquire, useand justify their power.

2. Analyze the purposes, structures and functions of varioussystems of government including:

a. Absolute monarchies;b. Constitutional monarchies;c. Parliamentary democracies; d.

Presidential democracies;e. Dictatorships;f. Theocracies.

I. Absolute Monarchies

A. Absolute Monarch: A king or queen who has unlimited power and seeks to control all aspects of society.

B. Absolute Monarchs acquire power through birth.

C. Disadvantages of Absolute Monarchies:1. an absolute monarch cannot be

questioned. 2. The freedoms of individual citizens

are often limited. 3. Freedom of speech and press are not

guaranteed.4. There are few checks on authority

therefore, a king or queen does not have to respect the rights of the people.

Examples of Absolute Monarchies

A. Then 1. The Reign of King Louis XIV of France 1643-

1715

2. “L’etat, c’est moi.”

I am the state

B. Now 1. Saudi Arabia

a. The world’s leading producer of crude oil.

b. Present ruler is King Salman.

c. Opposition to the king is not tolerated.

d. Citizens are not free to speak out against the government.

e. Citizens cannot take part in elections to choose public officials.

f. All Saudi officials are appointed by the king, not elected by the people.

II. Constitutional Monarchies

A. Constitutional Monarch: A system of governing in which the ruler’s power is limited by law.

B. The country’s laws are determined by a Constitution or Bill of Rights.

C. A constitution is a document that lists many things that a ruler cannot do.

D. For example, No interfering with freedom of speech or religion.

E. Constituitions limit a monarch’s power; therefore real power belongs to elected officials, not the king or queen.

F. Usually constitutional monarchies have a legislative branch.

G. In England, the legislative branch is called Parliament.

III. Example of a Constitutional Monarchy

A. Great Britain: Queen Elizabeth II

B. Although Great Britain has a royal family, it also has a Constitution, Parliament, and a Prime Minister.

IV. Dictatorships

A. Dictatorship: A system ruled by a dictator possessing absolute power and absolute authority.

B. A dictator usually takes power of a preexisting government by military force.

C. This take-over is called a coup d’etat. D. Dictators usually appoint a police

force that uses threats and actual force to stop anyone from saying anything against the dictatorship.

V. Examples of Dictators of the Past and Present

A. Adolf Hitler Nazi Germany

B. Kim Jong UN North Korea

V. Cont.

A. Dictatorships are dangerous. A dictator rules with unlimited power and therefore can get away with inhumane treatment of their citizens.

B. Adolf Hitler was responsible for the mass slaughter (genocide) of 6 million Jewish people during WWII.

C. Kim Jong UN of North Korea. The Kim Jong Un regime is very secretive and completely isolated from the rest of the world.

D. His father (Kim Jong Il) had been accused of supporting terrorism and in 2005 announced that North Korea had developed nuclear weapons.

VI. Theocracy

A. Theocracy: A government controlled by religious leaders.

B. A present day example of a theocracy is Iran.

C. Iran is officially titled, The Islamic Republic of Iran

VI. Theocracy Cont. D. All secular (nonreligious) laws

passed in Iran are reviewed by a 12 member Council of Guardians.

E. The Council is made up of six Muslim religious experts and six Muslim attorneys.

F. All laws must be consistent with Islamic religious laws.

VII. Parliamentary Democracies

A. Democracy: a government where the power is vested in the citizens to make laws for their own society usually involving periodically held free elections.

B. Power for a democracy is acquired through elections.

C. Parliamentary Democracies: A body of representatives elected by the people of a nation to make laws.

D. Once elected, the members of parliament elect a chief executive and cabinet to run the government.

E. France, India, Israel and Canada are examples of a Parliamentary Democracies.

F. Remember that Democracy means Freedom for its citizens.

VIII. Presidential Democracy

A. Presidential democracy: All citizens can vote to decide who becomes the chief executive (president) of a nation.

B. This means that a president must answer directly to the people.

C. The United States is an example of a presidential democracy.

D. The President serves as the Executive Branch of the country’s government.

Types of

Government

Absolute Monarchy

ConstitutionalMonarchy

Dictator-ship

TheocracyParliamentary

DemocracyPresidentialDemocracy

Quiz Study QuestionsYou need to know….1. Definitions of the six types of governments.2. How leaders acquire power in the six government system

ex.)Absolute Monarchy: Power passed down from a parent to a child

Dictatorship: Power taken by force Representative Democracy: leaders are

elected by the people of the nation3. Countries’ government systems

ex.) Presidential Democracy: U.S.A. Theocracy: Iran Dictatorship: Saddam Hussein/Iraq, Hitler/Nazi

Germany, Kim Jong Un/ N. Korea