Government Types of Government Type of Government Direct

Government

Types of Government Type of Government Direct Democracy Who holds power All citizens vote directly on issues. People vote for representatives who lead the country and make laws. Examples *Parts of Switzerland *Some New England towns *United States *Russia *France Constitutional Monarchy A monarch (King or Queen) inherits the right to rule but is limited by laws and a lawmaking body elected by the people. *United Kingdom *Japan *Sweden *Jordan Absolute Monarchy A monarch inherits the right *Saudi Arabia to rule and has unlimited power. Citizens=No power A dictator makes all laws and *Cuba Representative Democracy Dictatorship

General information on Government • Voting is a form of civic participation. 57% of Americans voted for the 2012 president election. 85% of Scotland’s people voted for their chance at independence. • The government owns the resources in a command economy. • The vast majority of countries have some form of democracy in the Western Hemisphere.

Country specific information on government • Canada’s national leader is called the prime minister. • Germany was once split into communist and democratic parts but is now reunited. • In the 1990’s Libya’s government built pipelines to carry water from the desert to coastal areas. • Israel’s government passed “The Law of Return” in 1950. This brought an increase in Israel’s Jewish population. • Until recent years, Russia’s farms and businesses were controlled by the government under a system called communism.