Download Types of Governments

Types of Governments
Totalitarian
Authoritarian
Democratic
How are Decisions Made?
 A person’s belief system influences the type of choices
and decisions they make.
 These belief systems are often known as ideologies
 Different ideologies influence the way decisions are
made
Ideologies and Type of Government
 Government is basically decision making
 Ideologies (beliefs and values about how society
should be structured i.e. conservatism, liberalism,
socialism, communism) influence the type of
government that a country has (i.e. totalitarian,
authoritarian, or democratic)
Decision Making Systems
(Types of Government)
 When determining how a government should be
classified, it is important to answer these questions:
 1) Who rules?
 2) In whose interest do they rule?
 3) How do they rule?
Classification of Governments
 We use three broad categories for classifying types of
government or leadership styles:
 1) Totalitarian
 2) Authoritarian
 3) Democratic
1) Totalitarianism
 Definition: The government uses military force
and terror to control society and remake society
based on a specific ideology.
 Who?: One ruler (called a Dictator)
 Whose interest?:
Ruler’s interest
 How?:
Uses military force, terror, fear, and
offers only one political party which everyone must
support
2) Authoritarianism
 Definition: The government uses the military to
maintain control of the country, and generally does
not try to remake society with an ideology, but an
ideology can still be present.
 Who?: One ruler (i.e. a King or Queen)
 Whose interest?: Ruler’s interest and sometimes the
people, depending on the ruler (i.e. Some monarchies)
 How?: Uses military control, sometimes uses fear,
offers only one political party (throne is inherited),
sometimes popular support of the people
3) Democracy
 Definition:
A system of government in which
decisions are controlled by the people.
 Who?: People elect representatives and a leader by
majority vote
 Whose interest?: People’s interest
 How?:
Government must be elected and must
follow the country’s constitution. Government and
leaders are under the “Rule of Law.”
Applying your Knowledge
 Read through the following scenarios and determine
the type of government and ideology for each.
 Be sure to use evidence from the scenario to support
your position.
After World War One, Germany went through many changes. The monarchy
was abolished, severe restrictions were imposed on Germany by the Allied
nations, and a new type of government was implemented where elected officials
made the country’s decisions. These changes resulted in a great amount of
instability for Germany, both economically and politically. A new party called
the National Socialists (Nazis) started to gain greater popularity and acceptance
among Germans as the problems in Germany grew. Their vocal leader, Adolf
Hitler, promoted an ideology called fascism . He also blamed the Jews for all the
problems in Germany and promised to remake Germany economically, socially
and politically if elected to the German Reichstag. Hitler and his Nazis gained
complete control of Germany by 1933. Once in power, he took away the civil
rights of Jews, drastically expanded the military, and established police forces
that used fear and intimidation to control Germans.
Case Study # 1 - Germany
 Before WW1 – Germany had a monarch/government
was authoritarian
 After WW1 – a democracy was set up, but Germany
was in shambles so it did not really work
 Before WW2 – Hitler rose to power through being
elected (had a party called the National Socialists – its
ideology was Fascism) but when he got to power, he
abolished democracy and became a dictator
 1933 – 1945 – Hitler and the Nazis ran a totalitarian
state in Germany
 1945+ - democracy reinstituted and still exists today
Scenario Two:
The Russian Revolution of 1917, led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew
Czar Nicholas and the monarchy that had lasted for centuries. Lenin
assumed power for almost ten years until his death. Then Josef
Stalin took over as ruler of Russia and tried to make Russia into a
true communist country by centralizing power and asserting even
greater control over the economy. The economy was restructured
into five year plans, each one focused on a certain sector such as
agriculture or manufacturing. Stalin also expanded the military,
established secret police (KGB), and built gulags (interment camps)
where political prisoners were sent and millions died. Stalin was
incredibly paranoid and constantly feared that those close to him
were plotting to assassinate him. As a result, he had many of his
generals killed, leaving the military in disarray prior to World War Two.
He thought this would deter others from making plans against his life.
Following World War Two, he continued his military build-up in
competition with the Americans in what became known as the “Cold
War.”
Case Study # 2 - Russia
 A monarchy until Russian Revolution in 1917
 Lenin, and then Stalin, established a totalitarian
dictatorship
 Wanted to make the country communist (an ideology
about how the society should run) – involved much
killing/reign of terror/crazy, rapid changes
 Communism did not really work, and from the 1980s
onward, slowly Russia has changed to becoming a
capitalist democracy (after the Cold War with the US
ended)
 www.cyberlearning-
world.com/lessons/authoritarian.vs.democracy.ppt