European Politics and Government

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European Politics and Government
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Characteristics of a democratic government

• A democracy is a form of government in which the
  supreme power is vested in the people and
  exercised directly by them or by their elected
  agents under a free electoral system.

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Unitary System

• A unitary state is a state whose three organs of
  state are governed constitutionally as one single
  unit, with one constitutionally created
  legislature.
• In a unitary state, any sub-governmental units
  can be created or abolished, and have their
  powers varied, by the central government.

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Federal System

• A system in which power is constitutionally
  distributed between a central authority and a
  number of constituent territorial units.

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Reviewing types of democratic governments
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Federal System
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Confederate System
Switzerland and Ireland are some of the few
present day confederations.
The Articles of Confederation
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Presidential System
House Session - C-SPAN Video Library

• A system where an elected official serves as both
  chief of state and chief political executive in a
  republic having a presidential government.

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How the EnglishParliamentary System Began
English Documents and Democracy
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Parliamentary System
Parliament

• Legislature holds supreme power.
• Prime minister is chosen by members of the
  legislature (Parliament) from among their own
  number and is the leader of the majority party in
  the legislature.
• Cabinet members must also belong to the
  legislature, where they are subject to the same
  kind of questioning that the prime minister
  experiences.
• If the prime minister loses the support of the
  majority in the legislature on a significant
  vote, he or she must resign, and elections are
  called immediately.
• Elections in parliamentary countries may occur at
  any time, the only restriction being (in Britain)
  that they must be held at least once every five
  years.

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Constitution

• A written document outlining the basic principles
  and laws of a nation, state, or social group that
  determine the powers and duties of the government
  and guarantee certain rights to the people in it.

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Political Party

• A group that is involved in the art or science
  concerned with guiding or influencing
  governmental policy.

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Head of State

• An elected official having the position of chief
  of state, but usually only minimal political
  powers in a republic having a parliamentary
  government.

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Head of Government

• An elected official having the position of the
  chief executive of a parliamentary government.

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United States of America

• Government Type Constitutional based federal
  republic
• Administration Divisions 50 states and 1
  district
• Constitution September 17, 1787
• Legal System Federal court system based on
  English Common law
• Executive Branch
• Head of State President
• Head of Government President
• Legislative Branch Bicameral
• Senate 100 members
• House of Representatives 435 members
• Judicial Branch Federal system
• Federal Courts
• State Courts
• Local Courts
• Political Parties Democratic, Republican,
  Libertarian and Green Party