GOVERNMENT What is government Government is an organization

GOVERNMENT What is government? • • • Government is an organization people set up to protect the community and make rules There is a leader or leaders in charge There are rules or laws to follow

GOVERNMENT What does a government do? § Protects the community § Makes laws § Keeps or maintains order/peace § Collects taxes to take care of things (roads, public buildings, postal service, military, schools)

GOVERNMENT Why do people need government? § For protection of people and property § Making rules- to maintain order § Enforcing laws- to ensure safety § To have someone in charge of schools, roads, military, etc. § Without it= chaos, disorder, unsafe

GOVERNMENT Who has authority or power in a government? What is power? § The leader (king, president, emperor) § The leader’s “people” (assistants, noblemen, aristocrats…) § The citizens (by voting in a Democracy) § Power is…. .

Power is… The ability to direct or influence the behavior of others, or the course of events. 5

GOVERNMENT What types of government are there? Common types are: § Monarchy – King or Emperor §Oligarchy – Ruled by Few § Tyranny/Dictatorship – Single Leader § Democracy/Republic – By the People § Theocracy – God is the Supreme Ruler

MONARCHY • Power is in the hands of a king, queen, emperor or empress. • The ruling position can be passed on to the ruler’s children – this is called inheritance. • In some traditional monarchies, the monarch has absolute power (judges, leading army, making laws) • A constitutional monarchy, like the United Kingdom, also has a democratic government that limits the monarch's control. • Aristocrats or noblemen (the king’s “people”) can help make decisions if the Ruler wants them to. • The Divine Right of Kings (*See Theocracy)

OLIGARCHY • Oligarchy means “Rule by a Few” • A government in which a few people have power (political group, one social class, or one race – Often times they are wealthy $$$) • The Oligarchs primarily care only about themselves. • The make decisions to benefit their group and many times are described as “making the richer and the poorer”.

TYRANNY/DICTATORSHIP • A country ruled by a single leader known as a Tyrant or Dictator. • The leader has NOT been elected and may use force to take and keep control. • The tyrant or dictator has all the power over citizens’ lives and citizens have no choices. • Some tyrants made their supporters happy and helped the poor. They did this so they were not overthrown. Others were not so kind.

THEOCRACY • A form of government in which God (or the gods) is the supreme ruler • The leader is thought to serve through his “divine right” and represent God on Earth • The laws often come from the Holy Books/texts that the religion of the culture follows. • Examples: • The Pope in the Vatican City/Roman Catholic Church • Saudi Arabia is an Islamic Theocracy

DEMOCRACY • In a democracy, the government is elected by the people. Everyone who is eligible to vote has a chance to have their say over who runs the country. It is different from governments controlled by a particular social class or group. • A democracy is determined either directly (everyone votes) or indirectly (People elect representatives. )

DIRECT DEMOCRACY REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY • People vote directly on every issue • • Only practical in a small community • • This type of Democracy started in Athens • People are represented by elected officials They vote for the person they think has similar opinions or views as themselves. Used in large countries (Like the USA) • Citizens have power and choices • VERY similar to a Republican government

REPUBLIC • A Republic is a country with elected representatives and an elected head of state (who is NOT a monarch. ) • The head of the country is usually an elected president. • Citizens can vote and have power. This is very similar to a Representative Democracy.

ANCIENT GREECE • Mountains covered about 75% of Greece; these barriers divided the Greek people into separate mountain valleys and made unifying Greece nearly impossible • The Greek people were divided into independent city-states (called polis) within each valley and its surrounding mountains • Greek city-states had an agora (a massive marketplace) that was the center for trade and government and an acropolis, a temple on a hill dedicated to one of the sacred gods or goddesses • Some polis like Athens had a direct democracy, a government ruled by citizens who vote on decisions • The Greek cultural contributions (especially from Athens) to philosophy, art, entertainment, literature, architecture, science, education, and democracy formed the foundation of Western civilization

ROMAN REPUBLIC • Roman Society was divided into 2 major groups: Patricians (Nobles) and Plebeians (commoners) • Their form of government was a REPUBLIC, where the citizens have the power to elect leaders. • Roman Law was eventually written down onto the Twelve Tables. These laws were based on the idea that all citizens of Rome had a right to the protection of the law • Roman Contributions: Changed our calendar to 365 days and named the months Gave us 1/3 of our English language Used Roman numerals that we still see today on clocks, watches, and in books I II IV V VI VIII IX X

INFLUENCE OF ROME AND GREECE • Many facets of modern American life can be traced back to the innovations of the Greeks and Romans. Things like: • • • Government Language Religion Law Education Entertainment Literature Art Calendar • • • Mathematics Astronomy Engineering Science Customs & Traditions Architecture Sports Philosophy Medicine