Who Rules?

​Who Rules?

Types of Government

Open Ended

What is government? What types of government can you name?

Someone's Got to Be in Charge

If you compared all the governments in the world, you would find one thing in common: Someone is in charge. The question is, who? There are many different forms of government. Some have one leader who has all the control. Others give power to the people. Here are some forms of government that exist (or have existed) in the world:

An autocracy is a government in which one person has all the power. There are two main types of autocracy: a monarchy and a dictatorship.

Me, Myself, and I

Me, Myself, and I

In a monarchy, a king or queen rules the country. The king or queen is known as the monarch. Monarchs usually come to power through their family line: The current king or queen’s oldest child becomes the next king or queen. In some monarchies, especially those in historical times, the monarch held all the power and had the final say over government. In modern times, monarchs usually share power with other parts of government. Often they are also subject to the country’s constitution.

Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy, meaning the king holds total power over the government. There is a constitution, but the king can change it when and how he wants.

Absolute Monarchy

One of the monarchies you may be most familiar with, the United Kingdom, is a constitutional monarchy. There is still a monarch (currently a king), but the government is actually run by Parliament and the Prime Minister.​

Constitutional Monarchy

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Me, Myself, and I

A dictatorship is a form of government where one leader has absolute control over citizens’ lives. If there is a constitution, the dictator has control over that, too - so it doesn’t mean much. Although other parts of the government may exist, such as courts or a lawmaking body, these branches always do what the dictator wants them to do. They do not represent citizens.

There have been numerous examples of dictatorships throughout history. Well-known examples include Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s or Kim Jong Un in North Korea now.

Dictatorship

Match

Match the type of government to the correct description.

• dictatorship

• absolute monarchy

• constitutional monarchy

ruled by one person with total control

ruled by a king/queen with total control

king/queen shares power with government

• ruled by one person with total control

• ruled by a king/queen with total control

• king/queen shares power with government

In a democracy, citizens hold the political power. There are two fundamental types of democracies:

• ​representative democracy

• direct democracy

Power to the People!

Power to the People!

In a representative democracy, citizens elect leaders to represent their rights and interests in government. The elected leaders, or representatives, do the day-to-day work of governing the country: They consider the issues, work to find solutions, pass laws, and do all of the other things necessary to keep a country going. Citizens hold the ultimate power, though, because if they don’t like what their representatives are doing, they can vote in new ones!

The United States is an example of a representative democracy (or republic). The people elect representatives to Congress, which is the legislative body.

Representative Democracy

Power to the People!

In a direct democracy, there are no representatives. Citizens are directly involved in the day-to-day work of governing the country. Citizens might be required to participate in lawmaking or act as judges, for example. The best example of this was in the ancient Greek city-state called Athens. Most modern countries are too large for a direct democracy to work.

Most modern countries are too large to employ full direct democracy. Direct democracy is used in Switzerland, for example, has about four times a year where the people vote on specific issues. Citizens can propose votes on specific issues through an initiative or referendum.

Direct Democracy

Drag and Drop

A ​

Placeholder

democracy is where the people vote on leaders to make laws for them. A ​

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democracy is where the people vote directly on laws and decisions.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

representative

direct

participatory

delegated

We, Ourselves, and...um...Us

In a oligarchy, a small group of people has all the power. Oligarchy is a Greek word that means “rule by a few.” Sometimes this means that only a certain group has political rights, such as members of one political party, one social class, or one race. For example, in some societies, only noble families who owned land could participate in politics. An oligarchy can also mean that a few people control the country. For example, a junta is a small group of people - usually military officers - who rule a country after taking it over by force. A junta often operates much like a dictatorship, except that several people share power.

Oligarchies may involve other types of government. In South Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s, there was a system of institutionalized racial segregation. While people of color were the majority, the apartheid system ensured that the minority white citizens controlled the government and economy.

​Oligarchy

Religious Rule

A theocracy is a government that recognizes God or a divine being as the ultimate authority. (“Theo” is a Greek word that means god.) In a theocracy, religious law is used to settle disputes and rule the people. A theocracy can also be a democracy, dictatorship, monarchy, or just about any other kind of government. For example, the Republic of Iran recognizes Islamic law, but Iran’s citizens vote to elect their leaders. Modern theocracies are usually found in countries where the population is strongly religious.

Iran is led by the Supreme Leader (Ali Khameni), who is the Head of State as well as a religious figure, who serves for life. Iran also has a President (currently Masoud Pezeshkian) as the Head of Government, who is elected by the people to eight year terms.

​​Iran

Vatican City is led by the Pope, currently Pope Leo XIV, who rules as an absolute monarch and is the head of the Roman Catholic Church. Vatican City is an sovereign entity from Italy. There is a legislative body of appointed cardinals who serve for five years.

Vatican City

Rule by None

In an anarchy, nobody is in control - or everyone is, depending on how you look at it. Sometimes the word anarchy is used to refer to an out-of-control mob. When it comes to government, anarchy would be one way to describe the human state of existence before any governments developed. It would be similar to the way animals live in the wild, with everyone looking out for themselves. Today, people who call themselves anarchists usually believe that people should be allowed to freely associate together without being subject to any nation or government. There are no countries that have anarchy as their form of government.

Practice Time

Multiple Choice

A monarchy can be like a dictatorship, or it can be part of a democracy.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

A dictatorship can also be a democracy.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

A democracy can have both representative and direct characteristics at the same time.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

An oligarchy can include representative democracy.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

A government can be both a monarchy and an anarchy at the same time.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Theocracy can exist with monarchy.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Theocracy can exist with democracy.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

An oligarchy can be like a dictatorship.

• True

• False