Government%20Systems%20and%20Forms

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Government Systems and Forms

• Classification Systems

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Types and Forms of Governments

• Aristotle

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Aristotle

• Autocracy
• Oligarchy
• Democracy

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Types of Government

• Autocracy
• Any system of government in which power and
  authority to rule are in the hands of a single
  individual
• Totalitarian dictatorship the ideas of a single
  leader or group are glorified
• The government seeks to control all aspects of
  social and economic life (Hitler, Mussolini, and
  Stalin

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• Monarchy
• King or Queen or Emperor exercise the supreme
  powers of government
• Absolute monarchs have complete and unlimited
  power to rule their people
• Rare today (Saudi Arabia) but most of Western
  Europe between 1400 to 1700s were ruled by
  absolute monarchs
• Constitutional monarchs share the governments
  powers with elected legislatures or serve as
  ceremonial heads of their governments

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• Oligarchy
• A system of government in which a small group
  hold power
• The group derives its power from wealth, military
  power, social position, or a combination of
  elements
• Sometimes the source of power is religion
  (Theocracy)
• Oligarchies and dictatorships claim to rule for
  the people and may have legislatures and hold
  elections

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• Democracy
• A system of government in which rule is by the
  people
• Government by the many in contrast to government
  by the few
• People hold sovereign power
• Lincoln - government of the people, by the
  people, and for the people

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Three Ways to Classify Governments

• Who can participate
• Who or How Many?
• Geographic Distribution of Power
• Where is the Power?
• Relationship Between Legislative and Executive
  Branches
• Legislative/Executive Split?

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Who can Participate?

• The many - Democracy
• Lincoln Government of the people, by the
  people , and for the people
• Democracy Direct or Indirect
• Direct is also called Pure Democracy
• Where the will of the people is translated into
  public policy by the people themselves (New
  England town meetings Landsgemeinde in the
  Swiss cantons)
• Indirect Representative Democracy
• A small group of persons chosen by the people to
  act as their representatives express the popular
  will. They conduct daily business, execute the
  laws and are held accountable through elections

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• A Few Dictatorship
• Autocracy
• Oligarchy
• All dictatorships are authoritarian hold
  absolute and unchallengeable authority over the
  people modern dictatorships tend to be
  totalitarian

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Geographic Distribution of Power

• In every government power is located in one or
  more places geographically
• From this standpoint, three basic forms of
  government exist
• Unitary - All key powers belong to a single,
  central agency
• Federal Powers are divided between a central
  government and several local governments
  (division of powers on a geographic basis)
• The Constitution stands above both levels of
  government

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• In the U.S. the phrase Federal Government refers
  to the National Government
• In the U.S. the States create local governments
  Each State is a unitary government
• Confederate - Independent states joined together
  for limited purposes
• Central government only handles those affairs
  assigned to it states retain their identity
• Confederations are rare European Union,
  Confederate States of America, and Articles of
  Confederation

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Legislative / Executive Split?

• Are the legislative and executive branches
  separate and independent?
• Presidential Government
• The branches are separate and independent
• CEO is chosen independently - has a fixed term
  broad powers not subject to direct control of
  the legislature

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• Parliamentary Government
• The executive branch is made up of the Prime
  Minister or Premier, and the officials making up
  the cabinet
• The Prime Minister and cabinet members are
  members of the legislative branch
• The Prime minister is the leader of the majority
  party or coalition (an alliance of several groups
  to form a working majority)
• Executive is chosen by the legislature

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• The Prime Minister and his cabinet are referred
  to as the government
• The Government remain in power as long as it has
  the confidence of the majority
• An example of a parliamentary government is Great
  Britain, Canada, Japan, and a majority of nations
  have a parliamentary government