Notes 1.

2
Examine this website: Link, other websites, and my PowerPoint (Notes 1.1)
Every government has its positive and negative attributes. Examining the different components and types of
Government and define them and list 1 positive and one negative attribute for each.
This does not appear on your rubric for the website portfolio, but I would like you to include it. You will have to
know several types of governments for the tests at the end of the semester.

Definition

Positive

Negative

Capitalism

an economic and political

system in which a
country's trade and
industry are controlled by
private owners for profit,
rather than by the state.

In a capitalist or freemarket economy, people

own their own businesses
and property

must buy services for

private use, such as
healthcare.

Socialism

a political and economic

theory of social
organization that
advocates that the
means of production,
distribution, and
exchange should be
owned or regulated by
the community as a
whole.

provide education, health

and welfare services while
allowing citizens some
economic choices

Governments own many of

the larger industries

Communism

a political theory derived

from Karl Marx,
advocating class war and
leading to a society in
which all property is
publicly owned and each
person works and is paid
according to their abilities
and needs.

provides its people's

healthcare, education and
welfare.

government owns all

businesses and farms

Democracy

a form or system of
democracygiving
citizens an
extraodinary amount of
participation in the
legislation process and
granting them a
maximum of political
self-determination.

Everybody votes on
There is no mistake
made when it comes to everything.
meeting the needs of
the proletariat,
because the
government hears it
straight from them.
There is no middleman
to muddle the
message.

is a variety

the people elect officials

Direct Democracy

Republic (Representative

Sometimes, the majority

Democracy)

ofdemocracy founded
on the principle of
elected officials
representing a group of
people, as opposed to
direct democracy.

who share their interests

into office. In other words,
an elected representative
becomes the voice of the
segment he or she
represents.

vote often ends up as not

the favorable vote. This
means that the person
who ends up representing
a particular jurisdiction can
have different opinions
than those they serve.

Anarchy

a state of disorder due to

absence or
nonrecognition of
authority.

Anarchy is a situation
where there is no
government.

government has been

destroyed and rival groups
are fighting to take its
place.

Theocracy

a system of government
in which priests rule in
the name of God or a
god.

There is likely a more

obedient attitude with
the public within a
theocracy

a theocracy what the

individual wants/needs
is not quite as
important as what is for
the greater good. Your
opinion is not needed
in a theocracy.

Oligarchy

A form of government in
which the power to rule
is held by a small,
usually self-appointed
elite.

Decisions Happen
Rapidly
While other forms of
government may offer
additional autonomy to
their citizens, under an
oligarchy, decisions are
made much more
rapidly, since there are
less people whose
approval is needed.

A form of government
which consists of rule by an
elite group who rule in
their own interests,
especially the
accumulation of wealth
and privilege.

A government in which
one leader or group of
people holds absolute
power.

Low Crime
In a dictatorship, one
person gets to decide
what the laws are and
has all of the power
needed to see that
these laws are
enforced.

Rule by a single leader who

has not been elected and
may use force to keep
control.

A form of government in
which power is vested in
hereditary kings and
queens.

Leadership Stability
The monarchs have life
tenure. They are not
subject to any election
like the politicians that
can only cause
economical and political
turmoil.

A monarchy has a king or

queen, who sometimes has
absolute power.

Dictatorship

Monarch