Forms of Governments

North Gwinnett Middle School

To study governments, geographers
look at the following:

Types – Who rules and who

participates.

Systems – How the power is

distributed.
Types of Government are based on
one key question: Who governs and
what is the citizen participation?
There are three types of governments:
 Autocracy, Oligarchy, and Democracy
 Autocracy
Government in which the power to
govern is held by one person.
Generally the power to rule is inherited
or by military force.
There are three
types of Autocracy.
 #1 Dictatorship
The leader has not been
elected and uses force
to control all aspects of
social and economic life.
Examples: Adolf Hitler in
Germany and Joseph
Stalin in the Soviet
Union
 #2 Absolute
Monarchy

A monarchy has a king, queen, emperor

or empress.
The power is usually inherited or
passed down from family members.
The monarch has absolute power
meaning they can make all decisions
without consulting anyone.
#3 Constitutional Monarchy
Kings, queens or emperors share power
with elected legislatures.
Generally the Kings are northing more
than figureheads.
The government is a democratic one
that limits the monarchs power.
Example: Great Britain
 Oligarchy
A government in which a few people
such as a dominant clan or clique have
power.
The group gets their power from either
military, wealth or social status.
Elections may be held but offer
only one candidate.
Examples: Greek city states
 Democracy
In a democracy, the government is
“Rule by the people”
There are two forms of democracy
 Direct Democracy – People vote on all the
issues.
 Representative Democracy – People elect
representatives and give them the power to
vote on issues.
 Example: United States
 In a democracy….
Individual freedom and equality is
valued.
Free elections are held
Decisions are based on majority rule.
All candidates can express their views
freely.
Citizens vote by secret ballot.
 Democratic Governments
There are two major forms of
democratic governments:
 Parliamentary
 Presidential
 Parliamentary Democracy
Voters elect members to the Parliament
(legislature)
Parliament has two Houses:
 House of Commons: The Political Party with the
most votes in the House of Commons chooses the
Prime Minister, the government’s leader with no
set length of term.
 House of Lords: Little power with most members
being nobles having inherited their titles
 Presidential Democracy
Voters elect legislators
Voters elect (indirectly) the president.
 Therefore, in the presidential system voters
have a more direct say about those who
serve in two branches of the government :
 Legislative
 Executive
Parliamentary Presidential System
System

Executive Executive Legislative

Select

Elec

t
Elec
Legislative

t
Elect

Citizens Citizens
Click on the link below and watch the
video for a summary and explanation on
the notes. Be sure to pay close
attention and be ready for quiz over
governments.
Hippocampus