Types of Government

7th Grade
Social Studies
Define the different types of governments
(i.e., democracy, autocracy, oligarchy,
monarchy, dictatorship, and so on). SS
GPS
 Terms to Know!
Distribution of Power: Anarchy
 Unitary Communist
 Confederation Capitalist
 Federal
Dictatorship
Citizen Participation:
Monarchy
 Autocratic
 Oligarchic
Revolutionary
 Democratic Theocracy
Democracies: Totalitarian
 Parliamentary Democracy
 Presidential Democracy
Interactive Notebook Question

Using
the Words to Know!
Terms as a guide:
Which form of government(s)
do we have in the U.S.?
 REMEMBER:
Nearly every country in the world is ruled
by a governmental system that combines
2 or more of these (for example, the USA
is not a 100% free market society, since
the government actually provides some
services for its citizens). Additionally, one
person's opinion of the type of
government may differ from another's
In other words…a country can have a
mixture of economy and/or governments.
 Two Main Questions for
Government…
How does the Government distribute
power?
How do the citizens participate in
government?
 Describe the ways
governments distribute power
Unitary- a form of government in which power is
held by one central (or national) authority.
Confederation-a group of countries (or even
states) that come together for a common purpose
or goal. Local governments still have power, but
do limit themselves in order to join “the group”.
Federal-a form of government in which power is
divided between one central (national) and
several local governments.
 Which of these categories would the United States fall
into?
 Unitary
All power is held by the central
(national) government. This central
government may delegate (or transfer)
some duties to smaller political units like
cities but it retains final authority over all
decisions. Unitary central governments
are stronger than federal central
governments. WHY? Examples:
France, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and
Kenya
 UNITARY
Ways Government Distributes Power
Regional Regional
(Local) (Local)
Authority Authority

Central
(National)
Authority
Regional Regional
(Local) (Local)
Authority Authority
 UNITARY
Ways Government Distributes Power
Many countries in the world have one national government
and do not give power to local governments.
 Confederation
A group of countries or states that come
together for certain things. Each country
still controls itself. The confederate
government (central) makes decisions
only on issues that affect the entire
confederation. Confederations can be
unstable because members often want
to do things their own way! Examples:
African Union & European Union
 CONFEDERATION
Ways Government Distributes Power
Regional Regional
Authority Authority

Central
Authority

Regional Regional
Authority Authority
So who holds the power in
a confederation?
Regional (Local) or Central (National)?

Regional (Local)
Meaning…they still
control their own
country.
 Federal
Divide power between the central (national)
government and the local/regional governments of
smaller areas such as states. Most federal systems
give a lot of power to the lower governments to handle
local affairs. The central(national) government
handles issues that concern the entire country, such
as the military or negotiating treaties with foreign
countries. Examples; The U.S., Canada, Mexico, and
India.
 FEDERATION/FEDERAL
Ways Government Distributes Power
Regional Regional
(Local) (Local)
Authority Authority

Central
(National)
Authority

Regional
(Local) Regional
Authority (Local)
Authority
 Describe the ways
governments distribute power
Most countries will have a UNITARY
form of government.
 Meaning they keep the power within the
national government and dictate what the
local governments can/cannot do.
 Citizen participation in
government
Autocratic-government in which one person has unlimited
power and the citizen has little if any role in the
government.
Oligarchic-Government by a small group or people or
political party. The citizen has very limited role.
Democratic-Government in which the supreme power is
vested in the people and exercised by them directly or
indirectly.
Citizen Participation in Government
This explains how citizens in a country are allowed to
participate in how the government works and is chosen.
Within an Autocratic Government the citizen has little to no
choices, within an Oligarchic Government the citizen has
very few choices, and within a Democratic Government the
citizen may have quite a few choices.
(INB) AUTOCRATIC, OLIGARCHIC, OR DEMOCRATIC
 Which one is the United States?
 Sudan?
 China?
 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 distinct from
governments controlled by a particular social
class or group (aristocracy; oligarchy) or by a
single person (despotism; dictatorship;
monarchy).
A democracy is determined either directly
or through elected representatives.
 Describe the two predominant
forms of democratic governments
Parliamentary-system of government where the
legislature (congress)have the real executive
power. May have a Prime Minister elected by the
legislature.
Presidential-a system of government in which the
president is constitutionally separate of the
legislature.
 Parliamentary
Example: Israel
A parliamentary system is led by
representatives of the people. Each is chosen
as a member of a political party and remains in
power as long as his/her party remains.
 Presidential
A system of government in which the
president is constitutionally independent of
the legislature.
Other Types of Governments
 Anarchy

Anarchy is a situation where there is no

government. This can happen after a civil
war in a country, when a government has
been destroyed and rival groups are fighting
to take its place.
Anarchists are people who believe that
government is a bad thing in that it stops
people organizing their own lives.
Example: Afghanistan?
 Capitalist
In a capitalist or free-market country,
people can own their own
businesses and property. People can
also buy services for private use, such
as healthcare.
But most capitalist governments also
provide their own education, health and
welfare services.
 Communist
In a communist country, the government
owns property such as businesses and
farms.
There are usually very few choices for
candidates for office.
 Dictatorship
A country ruled by a
single leader. The leader
has not been elected and
may use force to keep
control.
In a military dictatorship,
the army is in control.
Example: Iraq under
Saddam
 Federal Republic
A federation of states with a republican form of
government. A federation is the central
government. The states in a federation also
maintain all political independence and do not
have to listen to the national government.
India, Russia, United States Georgia
Alabama
United States
Florida
 Federal Republic
“A federation is the central government (U.S.
Government in Washington, D.C.). The states in a federation

also maintain all political sovereignty that they

do not yield to the federation (Georgia, Alabama, Florida,
and so on).”

Name a power the U.S. Government has that

the states do not…(Think-Pair-Share, Left Side)
 Monarchy
A monarchy has a king, queen, emperor or
empress.
The ruling position can be passed on to the ruler’s
heirs.
In some traditional monarchies, the monarch has
absolute power.
But a constitutional monarchy, like the UK, also
has a democratic government that limits the
monarch's control.
Example: Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Japan, United Kingdom
 Constitutional Monarchy
or a limited monarchy, is a form of constitutional government, wherein the
monarch is the head of state, however he or she is legally bound by the
national constitution. The constitutional monarchy's government and its law are the
government and the law of a limited monarchy.
Most constitutional monarchies have a parliamentary system (Australia, Belgium,
Canada, Denmark, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, New Zealand,
Japan, Thailand, United Kingdom) in which the monarch is the head of state, but a
directly- or indirectly-elected prime minister is head of government.
 Interactive Notebook Question
(Left Side)

1’s and 2’s, draw a Venn

Diagram listing the similarities
and differences between a
Presidential Democracy and a
Parliamentary Democracy.
 Republic
Example: USA
A republic is led by representatives of the voters. Each is
individually chosen for a set period of time.
The head of the country is usually an elected president.
 Interactive Notebook Question
(Left Side)

Think-Pair-Share
 The United States is a Democratic Republic. Since
a Republic means that we have representatives
who vote for us; what types of things are they voting
for that we do not get the chance to do ourselves?
 Revolutionary
If a government is
overthrown by force,
the new ruling group
is sometimes called
a revolutionary
government.
 Theocracy
Example: Iran
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.
 Totalitarian
This is a country
with only one
political party.
People are forced to
do what the
government tells
them and may also
be prevented from
leaving the country.
Example: Nazi Germany
in the 1930’s
 Homework
Working with your partner, decide which forms
of government would fit the following situations
(4 total):
1. A religious group overthrows the
government. They create a new
government that claims their right to
authority comes from God.
2. After a civil war, an individual takes total
control of the government; she has no
experience in leading a government. She
disbands the national congress and
retains all power in government to
herself.
3. The new President elect wins the
election by a landslide. Over 90% of the
citizens vote for the new leader.
4. The new Prime Minister wins election
narrowly due to his political party
barely gaining enough seats in
Parliament.
 Resources
Georgia Department of Education. Types of government Worksheets for Unit 2.
06/30/2007.
Grade Seven GPS. Georgia Department of Education. September 2, 2008.