Types of Governments

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Types of Governments
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To study governments, geographers look at the
following

• Types Who rules and who participates.
• Systems How the power is distributed.

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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

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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.

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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

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2 AbsoluteMonarchy

• 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.

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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Democratic Governments

• There are two major forms of democratic
  governments
• Parliamentary
• Presidential