What If…You Had the Power

1. What If…You Had the Power • If you were the leader of a country, what kind of rulings would you make? What kind of political powers would you let the people of your country have?

2. Question from debate last night • What is the U.S.’s role in the world?

3. Who Has the Power in Different Governments? Autocracy vs. Oligarchy vs. Democracy

4. Autocracy: One Person Only one person has all the power in making decisions for the people. Government Forms: • Dictatorship Examples: Germany’s Hitler, U.S.S.R.’s Stalin • Absolute Monarchy – one king in power with complete control Examples: France’s King Louis XVI, Spain’s King Ferdinand

5. Oligarchy: A Small Group • Only a few people in a small group of royalty, wealth, family, or military influence make political decisions for the country’s people. Government Forms: Communism – a small group controls all the economic resources and government Examples: former Soviet Union, Cuba, China

6. Democracy: The Citizens • The citizens have a say in their government by voting in elections. • Most democracies today are republics, where the people elect leaders to represent them in the government. • Most countries in the world are democracies.

7. Presidential Democracy • a government in which the executive, legislative, and judicial branches are separate • The citizens vote for the leader of the country, the president, who serves in the executive branch. Example: U.S.A.

8. Parliamentary Democracy • a government where voters elect representatives to a lawmaking body called parliament • Parliament members then select the leader, usually called the prime minister. • The prime minister is the national political leader, and another figure serves as the head of state, like a constitutional monarch. Examples: United Kingdom, Canada

9. Constitutional Monarchy • a government that has a constitution that allows a king or queen to be the official head of state, but elected officials run the government Examples: United Kingdom, Spain

10. You have just turned 18 and are voting for the first time in your life. You will be voting for the president of your country and for other elected officials. Which form of government do you have? A. Monarchy C. Democracy B. Parliamentary democracy D. Communist 2. In your country, the legislative branch (the law making branch) has just elected a new prime minister. Which form of government do you have? A. Parliamentary Democracy C. Constitutional Monarchy B. Autocracy D. Oligarchy 3. The ruler of your country has always made all of the political and economic decisions for the country. The citizens do not always agree with his decisions, but they have no power to change anything. He alone makes the decisions and has unlimited power. Which form of government do you have? A. Parliamentary Democracy C. Constitutional Monarchy B. Autocracy D. Oligarchy

11. 4. The government is run by a single person who has all the power. The people have no role in the government and have little freedom. Which of the following terms describe your country and its form of government? A. Constitutional Monarchy C. Democracy B. Oligarchy D. Autocracy 5. How does a democratic government differ from an oligarchic government? A. The role of the citizen C. Law making process B. How leadership is selected D. Judicial system 6. In a parliamentary government, unlike the presidential system, the head of government belongs to which branch? • Legislative C. National • Executive D. Judicial

13. Bibliography "political systems." Britannica Elementary Encyclopedia. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. 6  Mar.  2009  <http://www.school.eb.com.proxygsu-sgwi.galileo.usg.edu/elementary/article?articleId=390910>. The World and Its People. McGraw-Hill Companies: Columbus, OH. 2005