Citizen Participation in the Government Autocratic Oligarchic Democratic

Citizen Participation in the Government Autocratic, Oligarchic, Democratic

Distribution of Power Unitary, Federal, Confederation

Ways Governments Distribute Power Federal (Federation) Power is divided between one central and several regional authorities.

Ways Governments Distribute Power Unitary Power is held by one central authority.

Ways Governments Distribute Power Confederation Voluntary association of independent states that often only delegate a few powers to the central authority. o secure some common purpose o agree to certain limitations on their freedom of action o retain considerable independence

How a government distributes power affects citizen participation in the government.

How Governments Determine Citizen Participation Autocratic An autocracy is a form of government in which one person possesses unlimited power and the citizen has little if any role in the government.

How Governments Determine Citizen Participation Autocratic • An autocracy is the oldest form of government. • An autocracy is one of the most common forms of government. • An autocracy maintains power through inheritance or ruthless use of military and police power.

How Governments Determine Citizen Participation One Form of Autocracy: Absolute or Totalitarian Dictatorship • The ideas of a single leader are glorified. • The government tries to control all aspects of social and economic life. • The government is not responsible to the people. • People lack the power to limit their rulers. (Examples: Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin)

How Governments Determine Citizen Participation A Second Form of Autocracy: • Absolute Monarchy • The king, queen, or emperor exercises the supreme powers of government with unlimited power. • The position is usually inherited. • People lack the power to limit their rulers. • Absolute monarchs are rare today. (Example: King of Saudi Arabia)

How Governments Determine Citizen Participation Oligarchic An oligarchy is government by the few; it is sometimes a government in which a small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish purposes. (The citizen has a very limited role. )

How Governments Determine Citizen Participation Oligarchic • The group gets its power from military power, social power, wealth, religion or a combination. • Political opposition is usually suppressed— sometimes violently. • Leaders in the party and armed forces control the government. (Example: communist countries such as China)

How Governments Determine Citizen Participation Democratic A democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held by the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation. (It usually involves periodically held free elections. )

How Governments Determine Citizen Participation Democratic There are two types of democracies: • parliamentary • presidential