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Vocabulary
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totalitarian regime,
authoritarianism,
aristocracy,
theocracy,
oligarchy,
anarchy,
democracy,
direct democracy,
legislature,
initiative,
referendum,
republic,
popular sovereignty,
• democratic republic,
• representative democracy,
• universal suffrage,
• majority rule,
• majority,
• limited government,
Chapter 1.2
Forms of
Government
Chapter 1.2
Types of Government
• Totalitarian Regime – Authoritarianism
– Government controls all aspects of the political
and social life of a nation or where government is
controlled by one ruler
– Examples North Korea and Cuba
• Aristocracy
– “Rule by the best” ruled by members of the
upper class
– Examples – Great Britain prior to 1999 and Nigeria
Chapter 1.2
Types of Government
• Theocracy
– “Ruled by God”; in practice ruled by self-appointed
religious leaders
– Example – Islamic Republic of Iran; Islamic State
• Oligarchy
– ‘ruled by the few’
– Example: Russian Federation; United States?
• Anarchy
– Condition of no government
– Example - Somalia
Chapter 1.2
Direct Democracy as a Model
• Direct Democracy
– A system in which the people make decisions
directly rather than by elected representatives
• Ancient Athens, Greece
• Small communities
Chapter 1.2
Athenian Democracy
• Most important feature was the Legislature
– Government body responsible for making laws
• Composed of all citizens (approximately 6,000)
– Only men (women, foreigners, and slaves not
citizens)
• Requires high level of participation!
Chapter 1.2
Athenian Democracy
• Direct democracy is highly
unstable
– Can lead to mob rule!
• Athenians believed that
well informed citizens
would always make the
right decisions?
Chapter 1.2
Modern Day Direct Democracy
• Initiative- procedure by which voters can
propose a law or a constitutional amendment
• Referendum – legislature refers a law or
amendment to the people for approval
• Recall – procedure allowing the people to vote
to dismiss an elected official from state office.
Chapter 1.2
Dangers of Direct Democracy
• Founding fathers believed in a government
based on the “consent of the people”
– Distrustful of anything that looked like mob rule
• Devised a system of institutions to filter the
popular will through elected officials.
Chapter 1.2
A Democratic Republic
• Republic – form of government where
sovereign power rest with the people
– Popular sovereignty
• Democratic Republic – elected representatives
make and enforce laws
• Representative Democracy – same as above
but may retain the monarchy in a ceremonial
role.
– Quirk a republic cannot have vestigial king!
Chapter 1.2
Principles of Democratic Government
• Universal Suffrage – right of all adults to vote
• Majority Rule – greatest number of citizens in
any political unit should elect the officials and
determine policy.
Chapter 1.2
Constitutional Democracy
• Key Concept : limited government
– A government in which powers are limited by a
written constitution
• Without a written plan – political decisions
may be based on the whims or ambitions of
individuals in government
Chapter 1.2
Summary Questions – Submit on Edmodo
• Distinguish the major features of direct
democracy and representative democracy.
Chapter 1.2