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What is the difference
between a state and a nation?
(You can use your phone to
look it up if you aren’t sure)

A political entity
which is defined
by population,
territory,
sovereignty, and
government.

A group of people
bound together
through
language, history,
customs, culture,
and religion.
 SWBAT:
 Define
the origins government.
 Describe the types and systems
of government.
4 Theories
 God
or gods created the state
 God or gods gave those of
royal birth a ‘divine right’ to
rule.
 One
person or a small group
of people claimed control
over an area and forced all
within it to submit to that
person or group’s rule.
 The
state developed naturally
out of the early family.
 One
person was the head of the
family and then became head
of the government.
The state arose out of a
voluntary act of free people.
 The state exists to serve the
people, the people are the source
of power, and they are free to
give or withhold that power if
they choose.

Forms of Government
When people decide to form the social
contracts that we call governments, they
make many different decisions about
how their government will look.
Rule by few or rule by
all?
Where do the rulers get their
power?
Any form of government in which political power
is exercised by all citizens, either directly or
through their elected representatives.
There are two kinds of Democracies…
Direct!
Representative!
All
citizens participate in government.
There are no representatives in government:
The citizens vote on everything!
 All citizens can create public policy if they want to.
Example: In ancient Athens, Greece, they
held assemblies where citizens voted to pass
laws.

Like direct democracy, all citizens
participate in government
People elect representatives who vote on
laws for the citizens
Representatives answer to the people
through regular elections
Representatives are also usually held
accountable by a constitution
Now that we’ve talked about
DIRECT
DEMOCRACY!
And
REPRESENTATIVE
DEMOCRACY!
we can move on to
forms of government
where only one
person is in control…
A form of government in which political power is
controlled by one individual such as a monarch,
dictator, emperor, etc.
We’re going to talk about two kinds of
autocracy…
Monarchs!
Dictators!

Rule by kings, queens, princes, and
princesses… sometimes by other names, but
always MONARCHS!
Leaders usually gain their power because their
parents were rulers too.
Some modern monarchies like Spain and Japan
have constitutions.

In a dictatorship, power is not inherited, but
is acquired by force (military or political)
Dictators have absolute control over the lives
of their citizens and usually people are not
allowed to voice their negative opinions
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Il is considered a
dictator
… but what other forms of
government are there?
What if, instead of everyone or
just one person, a few people got
together to rule a nation?
Rule by Few!
 “Rule by few”
Power can be based on several things:
Military strength = Military Junta
Family power = Aristocracy
Religious control = Theocratic Oligarchy
Oligarchies can often come from or lead to
other forms of government (like autocracies)

“Theo” means “god” in Greek… so if a
government is THEO-cratic that means it is
ruled by… That’s right! A god or higher power!
Leaders (autocratic or oligarchic) are usually
religious leaders and society uses religious
law to settle its disputes
Example: The Islamic Republic of Iran is a modern
theocracy that uses the holy Islamic book, The
Qur’an, as its guide.
Wow!
There are so many
forms of government!
And remember there
are also
combinations…
What is government
ruled by GOD and a
FEW people called?
Autocrac
y
Democracy
Controlled
by citizens
Rule by god
or higher
power
Power
usually
inherited
Holds
elections
Constitution
al
Government
People have
a say
Rule by none
representative
s
Rule by few
or one
Rule by
There are more differences
among governments!
•Unitary
•Federal
•Confederation
 One
central gov’t
controls weaker states.
Power is not shared
between states,
counties, or provinces.
 China,
United Kingdom
(although Scotland has
been granted self-rule).
Central Government
State
State
State
State

A weak or loose organization
of states agrees to follow a
weak central gov’t. States can
choose to follow or not follow
the lead of the weak central
gov’t.
 The
Commonwealth of
Independent States,
formerly known as the
USSR. Also, the
Confederate States of
America (1861-1865)
Central Government
State
State
State
State
 Power
is shared by a
powerful central gov’t &
states or provinces that
are given considerable
self-rule, usually thru
their own legislatures.
 The
United States,
Australia, the Federal
Republic of Germany.
Federal
Central Government
State
State
State
State
 Unitary
 Confederate
 Federal
 At
least one example for
each type of government
1. This is NOT an example of
unlimited government.
a.
b.
c.
d.
autocracy
totalitarian dictatorship
oligarchy
democracy
2. Any
system of government in
which rule is by the people is
called
a.
b.
c.
d.
an autocracy.
a monarchy.
a democracy.
an oligarchy.
3. The form of democracy we have
in this country is called
a.
b.
c.
d.
direct democracy.
constitutional democracy.
socialistic democracy.
representative democracy.
Any system of government
in which a small group
holds power is called
4.
a.
b.
c.
d.
a democracy.
a monarchy.
an oligarchy.
an autocracy.
5. Are the rights and will of
minorities better protected
in a representative
democracy, an autocracy, or
an oligarchy? Explain.