Civics and Government

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Civics and Government
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Civics

• Civics is the study of the rights and duties of
  citizens and the functions and workings of the
  government.
• It will also undoubtedly be the highlight of your
  school day and quite probably the highlight of
  your academic career!

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Government

• Government is the power or authority that rules a
  country.

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Purposes of Government

• There are four primary purposes of government
• To make and enforce laws
• To provide services
• To maintain order
• To guide the community

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Levels of Government

• In the United States, there are three levels of
  government local, state, and federal (national).

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Highest Level of Governmental Authority

• The federal (national) government has the highest
  level of authority.
• This was established under the United States
  Constitution and upheld by various Supreme Court
  rulings.

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Forms of Government

• The two basic forms of government are
• Democracy
• Authoritarianism

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Democracy

• Democracy is a form of government in which the
  people (citizens) hold the power to rule and make
  laws.
• In a democracy, the people have the most
  political voice.

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Types of Democracies

• There are three basic types of democracy
• Direct Democracy
• Representative Democracy
• Constitutional Monarchy

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Direct Democracy

• A direct democracy exists when eligible citizens
  participate directly in the decision making
  process.

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Representative Democracy

• A representative democracy exists when eligible
  citizens vote for individuals that will in-turn
  represent their interests in government.
• This is the type of democracy that we have in the
  United States.

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Constitutional Monarchy

• Type of democracy with a hereditary ruler whose
  power is limited by the nations constitution and
  laws.

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Authoritarianism

• Form of government in which individual freedom is
  held as completely subordinate to the power or
  authority of the state.
• Authoritarianism is centered either in one person
  or a small group that is not constitutionally
  accountable to the people. Citizens have the
  least political voice in an authoritarian system.

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Related Terms

• Absolute Monarchy, Dictatorship, and
  Totalitarianism are all terms that are closely
  associated with authoritarianism.

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North Korea

• We are going to examine the authoritarian state
  of North Korea.
• We will read, discuss, and analyze a CultureGram
  that describes the history, society, and
  government of North Korea and then we will watch
  National Geographics Inside North Korea.