Types of Governments and Principles of American Democracy

Types of Governments and Principles of American Democracy Mr. Mc. Cray Foundations Lesson 2

Totalitarian n n n No country fits a description perfectly Dictatorship: govt. controlled by one person; Cuba Monarchy: Rule by a king, queen, or emperor; Jordan vs. Great Britain? Oligarchy: Rule by a small group of select people usually a party or the military; China Advantages: govt. can maintain tight control over country, efficient decision making Disadvantages: citizens often have rights restricted, no voice in government policy n Raul Castro, leader of Cuba

Theocracy n n n Theocracy: A form of government where the rulers claim to be ruling on behalf of a set of religious ideas, or as direct agents of a deity; Iran Advantages: People are unified through mutual religious faith, in theory it creates a more religious country Disadvantages: Peoples rights are often restricted if they conflict with religious beliefs, often no elections, can be violent towards other religious beliefs n Osama Bin Laden and his followers support creating Muslim theocracies

Democratic Government n n n n Democracy: the people rule and control the govt. Direct Democracy: all citizens meet to debate and vote; Ancient Greece Representative Democracy: citizens choose a smaller group to represent them in govt. Types include Republic (US) and Parliamentary (Great Britain) Which form of democracy does the US have? Advantages: people have a say in government, rights are better protected Disadvantages: govt. can take a long time to pass laws, lots of opposition n What did Winston Churchill mean by this statement?

Principles of American Democracy n n n Majority Rule: govt. will do what most people want What are exceptions to majority rule or is it absolute? Individual Rights: rights are protected by the govt. Rule of law: all people, even those who govern, are bound to the law Is the President bound to follow the law? What if he/she doesn’t? n President Richard Nixon and Elvis

Principles of American Democracy n n n Limited Govt. : govt. is not all powerful How do we make sure govt. doesn’t get to powerful? Consent of the governed: govt. power comes from the people Why is it important that power come from the people? Representative Govt. : people elect their leaders