FORMS OF GOVERNMENT

I. Classification fo differnet governments helps us make comparisons.

A. We look at what parts of the government hold power. I.e. executive (law enforcing), legislative (law making) , judicial branches (courts)

Voters Ballot = Legislature and Chief Executive= Independent and Coequal

*In a presidential government, the legislative and executive branches are independent of each other. They are equal in power. The people elect the chief executive, or president. The president serves for a set amount of time. The branches have separate powers.

Voters Ballot= Legislature- (CHIEF EXECUTIVE- Responsible to and holds office at the pleasure of the legislature.

*In a parliamentary government, the chief executive is a member of the legislature, or parliament. The legislature chooses the executive. The executive stays in office only as long as he or she has the support of most of the legislature. The British, most other Europeans, and most other governments in the world today are parliamentary.

*In which form of government is the chief executive both elected from and part of the legislature?

II. A government can be unitary, federal, or confederate depending on where the power is.

A. Unitary Government has all its power in one central group. Local government exists only to serve that group. most governments in the world today are untiary.

B. In a federal government, a central government and local governments share power. The United States has this form of government. The States and the national government share power.

C. A confederation is a loosely connected group of independent states. The member states decide what specific powers the central government can have.

III. A government can either be a dictatorship or a democracy.

A. In a dictatorship, only one person or a small group holds all political power. The government demands that people obey its authority completely.

B. In a democracy, all political power belongs to the people. A democracy may be direct or representative (indirect).

C. Direct Democracy- The people make laws for themselves.

D. Representative Democracy- the people elect a small group of people to do the work of government. The United States is a representative democracy.

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