Practice SE Asia Government Lesson

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Southern & Eastern Asia’s

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How do citizens participate in government?

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AUTOCRACY: citizens have a very limited
role in government; one person has all of
the power

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DEMOCRACY: supreme power is vested in
the people & exercised by them directly or
indirectly through a system of
representation involving free elections

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Southern and Eastern Asia has a number of
democratic governments, as well as several
autocratic governments.

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In the autocracies, the Communist states
identify as republics, but give autocratic power
to the Communist Party.

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For example, China and North Korea are both
autocratic governments where state control is
high and citizens’ rights are limited.

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What are the two types of democratic governments?

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PARLIAMENTARY: citizens elect members of
Parliament, and then the members select the
leader.
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The leader works with or through the
legislature.

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PRESIDENTIAL: system of government in
which the leader is constitutionally independent
of the legislature.
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Citizens directly elect leader, who works
separately from legislature.

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India, Japan, & South Korea

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Parliamentary

Democracy

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Great Britain colonized and ruled India
from the 1600s until the mid-1900s.

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In 1947, India gained its independence
from Great Britain and a parliamentary
democracy was put into place.

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Today, there are still influences of
European colonization in India’s
government.

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Multiple Choice

What year did India gain its Independence?

• 1941

• 1946

• 1947

• 1963

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The prime minister is the chief
executive of the national government
that holds the most political power.

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The president is the head of state who
performs mostly ceremonial duties and
holds little political power.

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Multiple Choice

What year did India gain its Independence?

• 1941

• 1945

• 1947

• 1963

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Narendra Modi

India’s Prime Minister

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Pranab Mukherjee

India’s Prime Minister

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The prime minister is elected by members in
parliament from the majority party.
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Citizens elect members of parliament, and
then the members vote for prime
minister.

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The president is elected by an electoral
college consisting of elected members of
Parliament and the legislatures of the states.

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India’s bicameral legislature is called the
Sansad (parliament).

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The two houses are called the Council of
States and the House of the People.

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Membership in the Council of States is chosen
by assemblies in India’s states.

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Indians age 18 and older elect all but two
members of the House of the People; the
president appoints the final two members.

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Sansad Bhavan – India’s Parliament Building

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Inside the House of the People

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In India’s parliamentary democracy, citizens
elect members to the House of the People.

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The members of Parliament then elect a
leader from the majority party in the Sansad.

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The prime minister works with or through the
legislature.

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• The Indian Constitution of 1950 granted

many rights and personal freedoms to
Indian citizens.

• India’s Constitution also guarantees

equality for women.

• All Indians over the age of 18 are

guaranteed the right to vote.

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• Indians also have freedom of speech,

freedom of religion, freedom of
assembly, and many other freedoms
similar to those in the US and European
democracies.

• They are also given the right to conserve

their language and culture.

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Voting Lines in Delhi

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In India, there are some discrimination
complaints that arise from traditional
practices.

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Elements of India’s former caste
system still remain in some parts of
the country, and the way of life for
“untouchable” workers is still very
difficult.

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Parliamentary

Democracy

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Japan’s Diet Building in Tokyo

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Japan’s emperor is ceremonial position
(head of state) that holds no political
power.

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The prime minister is the chief
executive who holds the most political
power.

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The emperor is a position that is
inherited through family line.

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The prime minister the leader of the
majority party in Japan’s parliament
(indirectly elected by the Japanese
people).

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Japan’s bicameral legislature is called
the Diet (parliament).

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The two houses are called the House of
Councillors and the House of
Representatives.

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Japanese citizens age 18 and older elect
members of both houses.

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Japan’s parliamentary democracy is
structured very much like that in the United
Kingdom.

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Japanese citizens elect members of
parliament.

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Several political parties are represented in
parliament, and the leader of the majority
party becomes the prime minister.

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• In Japan, citizens age 18 and older can

vote in elections.

• Japan’s constitution of 1947 established

rights and personal freedoms for
Japan’s citizens, including freedom of
speech and religion, equal rights for
women, and equal education for all.

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Voting in Tokyo

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Even though Japan’s government has
come a long way, it is still sometimes
faulted for not providing enough
opportunities for young people.

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Presidential Democracy

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In the early 1900s, the Republic of
Korea was a military dictatorship.

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The country has come a long way and is
now a presidential democracy that
supports individual rights and freedoms.

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South Korea’s National Assembly Building

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South Korea’s unicameral legislature is
called the National Assembly.

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About one-sixth of the legislature is
chosen to represent national interests
without going through an election.

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The rest of the members are elected
by South Koreans ages 19 and up.

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South Korea’s National Assembly

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South Korea has a presidential
democracy.

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Citizens directly elect the president.

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The executive branch works
independently of the legislative branch.

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South Koreans directly elect a president
to serve as head of state.

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The president then appoints a prime
minister (subject to confirmation by the
National Assembly) to be the chief
executive of government.

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Moon Jae-in

South Korea’s President

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South Korea’s Prime Minister

Lee Nak-yeon

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Citizens age 19 and older are free to vote or
run for office.

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South Koreans have a lot more influence over
the government today than they did a couple
decades ago.

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South Korea’s constitution guarantees basic
freedoms of speech, religion, the press,
assembly, etc.

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Unfortunately, freedoms for South Korea’s
citizens are not absolute.

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The government considers it a crime to
express sympathy with North Korea.

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The government also censors songs, books,
and plays that are written in Japanese.

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Also, workers from other Asian countries
face discrimination in South Korea.

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North Korea and China

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Autocratic governments rule in North Korea
and China.

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Government officials make decisions without
any input from citizens.

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The people do not have the option of changing
the government through elections.

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Citizens’ rights, such as free speech and right
to assemble, are restricted by the
government.

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Autocracy

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North Korea has a centralized government
that is under the control of the communist
Korean Workers’ Party.

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All government officials belong to the KWP.

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Since the country’s creation in 1948, it has
been ruled by the Kim dynasty.

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The exact structure of power is somewhat
unclear, but the military supreme
commander holds the most influence.

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Supreme People’s Assembly

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Citizens vote for a Supreme People’s
Assembly, which serves as the
legislature.

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The Supreme People’s Assembly usually
only meets twice a year and it mostly
ratifies decisions already made by the
KWP.

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Supreme People’s Assembly

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The military supreme leader is the highest
office of the state.

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North Korea also has a chief of state that
serves as the head of state.

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There is also a premier that leads the
government and oversees the cabinet.

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Both the premier and head of state must
share power with the military supreme
commander.

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Kim Jong-un

North Korean Leader

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The military supreme commander
appears to be a hereditary position that
has been passed down through three
generations.

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The Supreme People’s Assembly elects
the chief of state and the premier.

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The Korean Workers’ Party is the center
of North Korea’s government.

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High-ranking KWP officials make
decisions without answering to the
citizens.

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North Korean citizens can vote starting
at age 17.

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Only the Korean Workers’ Party can
select candidates in this autocracy, so
citizens don’t really have much influence
on the government.

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Rights such as freedom of religion,
press, assembly, etc., are heavily
restricted by the government.

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North Korea has a serious lack of
freedom of speech.
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There are only 3 TV channels (all
government-owned), propaganda is
announced from loudspeakers every
morning, and there is no internet.

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There is an extreme gap between the
rich and poor in North Korea.

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More than half of the population are
malnourished and live in extreme
poverty.

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In the 1990s, a huge famine struck and
killed hundreds of thousands of people.

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Communist State

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Great Hall of the People in Beijing

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China has a president, who serves as
the head of state. This is largely a
ceremonial office that holds little
political power.

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The premier is the chief executive and
is the highest ranking administrative
official in China’s government.

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China’s President

Xi Jinping

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China’s Premier

Li Keqiang

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China’s legislature elects the president.

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The president nominates someone to be
the premier, and the legislature
confirms him or her.

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The National People’s Congress is the
country’s unicameral legislature.

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Citizens 18 and over can vote in elections;
however, only members of the Chinese
Communist Party can be candidates in this
Communist state.

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Candidates are selected and approved by
the government before the people can vote
for them.

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Great Hall of the People

(National People’s Congress Resides Here)

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The National People’s Congress only meets
for two weeks a year and mostly just
approves decisions already made by the
Communist Party.

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At this time, it is not possible for Chinese citizens
to change their government through elections.

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Even though the constitution gives every person
over 18 the right to vote, these rights are mostly
meaningless because they are only allowed to vote
for members of the Chinese Communist Party.

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The government chooses the candidates and then
dictates what they do once they are “elected”.

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Voting in China*

*Chinese Communist Party is the only legal party, and

officially sanctioned candidates run unopposed.

• China’s communist government has a

history of violating the personal
freedoms of Chinese citizens by denying
them basic rights such as freedom of
speech and religion.

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