3.
Learning Goal
3.2, 3.2 Compare different forms and systems of government (Comparar diferentes formas y sistemas de gobierno)
4.0
Choose a government system that would work for a fictional country. Describe it’s form and structure
3.0
Learning Goal: Derived from the Standard/Benchmark
Compare different forms of government (direct democracy, representative democracy, socialism, communism, monarchy, oligarchy, and autocracy)
Compare parliamentary, federal, confederal and unitary systems of government.
2.0
Learning Target: Learning targets that build foundational knowledge, should include supplemental standards
The student recognizes and describes specific terminology such as:
Democracy, Representative Democracy, Republic, Direct Democracy, Socialism, Monarchy, Constitutional Monarchy, Absolute Monarchy, Communism, Parliamentary, Oligarchy, Autocracy, Unitary, totalitarian, Federal, Theocracy, Dictatorship, Anarchy, Confederal
The student will: Be able to distinguish between forms of government and systems of government
Notes: Forms of Government
Democracy (Direct)
Democracy means rule by the people. (In Greek, demo means people.) In a democracy, citizens hold the political power, and a written constitution usually establishes the laws that all, including the government, must follow. In a direct democracy, every single citizen is expected to participate in lawmaking, and each proposes and votes on laws himself or herself. Direct democracy is difficult to manage in a large country with many citizens. The best example in history is Athens, a city-state in ancient Greece. Today, certain parts of Switzerland are the only true direct democracies.
Democracy (Representative)
The people also rule in a representative democracy, but somewhat differently. In representative democracies, also called republics, citizens elect leaders called representatives to vote and make decisions for them and to manage the country on a day-to-day basis. The people don’t vote on laws—they vote for those who do. Citizens are still in charge, though, because they elect their representatives and can replace them with different ones if they wish. The United States and France are modern examples of republics.
Monarchy
In a monarchy, a king or queen rules the country. Monarchs usually inherit their position by birth, so that the first-born son of a king usually becomes the next king when his father dies. In the past, many monarchs held total control and had the final say over their governments. Today, most remaining monarchies contain elements of representative democracies, so that kings are limited by a written constitution and by other branches of government. The United Kingdom and Norway are examples of limited monarchies existing today.
Socialism
Socialism is as much an economic system as a political one. Socialist countries aim to protect citizens from economic inequality. Governments achieve this by playing an active role in managing the economy. Instead of business being entirely in the hands of citizens, socialist governments control and redistribute wealth in an effort to provide greater equality. Socialist governments can be elected democratically. Venezuela is a modern example of a socialist country.
Communism
Communism can be viewed as a more extreme version of socialism. The goal of a communist government is complete economic and social equality for all citizens. Everyone is to have the same. All property is owned by the government and basically shared by citizens. To achieve this goal, communist governments have extreme control over the lives of citizens. In history, many communist governments have wound up resembling dictatorships. For much of the twentieth century, Russia was a communist nation called the Soviet Union. Cuba is a modern example.
Autocracy
Autocracy is a government where one person has all the power. (In Greek, auto means self.) A monarchy, described above, is a kind of autocracy, but as you learned, most kings and queens today have limits on their power and share it with citizens. A monarch who does not and who still holds absolute power would be an autocrat. Saudi Arabia still has this kind of autocratic monarchy today. Dictatorship is another kind of autocracy. A dictator sometimes comes to power through a revolution and then refuses to give up power or allow elections. North Korea is an example of an autocracy today.
Oligarchy
In an oligarchy, the few rule, not the many. A minority of people, usually the wealthier and more influential people in society, has the power. The few who rule might be members of a political party, a religious group, a social class, the military, or an ethnic group. These oligarchs may be elected but often inherit their positions as a birthright. Iran, which is controlled by religious leaders, is an example of an oligarchy today.
REMEDIATION: USE THESE ACTIVITIES FOR EXTRA EFFORT AND TO MASTER THE BENCHMARK
3.1
Option 1:
Type of Government
In the United States, citizens elect representatives to federal, state and local government positions. These representatives make decisions for the people.
The Soviet Union had a written constitution that got rid of social classes and had government ownership of all property. The government made all of the economic decisions and had lots of control over people.
Some Native American tribes organize themselves by having all male adult members of the tribe vote to make changes to the laws.
Scenario
Type of Government
In some South American countries in the mid 20th century, a military leader would sometimes take all power through a military revolt against the government. In France during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, King Louis XIV declared that he had all of the power in the country because it was his right as king.
In the early United States, political power was limited to a small group of white male landowners. What type of government is being described here?
Option 2:
Watch and participate in the tutorial at Florida Student “Which Government Is Which?” at:
http://floridastudents.org/PreviewResource/StudentResource/119941
When finished take a screenshot of the completion screen (or print it out) and show it to your teacher.
REMEDIATION: USE THESE ACTIVITIES FOR EXTRA EFFORT AND TO MASTER THE BENCHMARK
3.2
Option 1:
Watch the video on “Systems of Government” at http://civics360.org/modules/SJ6nahFrl
Answer the questions below and turn them in to your teacher.
Which system of government is this?
Scenario 1: The power of government is held with the legislative body, with a Prime Minister in charge.
Scenario 2: There is no central power of government, instead government power is held with at the lower government unit level, such as a state.
Scenario 3: The power of government is shared between the central (national) government and the states.
Scenario 4: Government power is held with the central (national) government.
Option 2:
Watch and participate in the tutorial at Florida Student “Differing Democracies: Parliamentary and Presidential Systems” at http://floridastudents.org/PreviewResource/StudentResource/128055
AND “Government: A “Systemic” Approach” at http://floridastudents.org/PreviewResource/StudentResource/167293
When finished take a screenshot of the completion screens (or print it out) and show them to your teacher.
Learning Goal
3.2, 3.2 Compare different forms and systems of government (Comparar diferentes formas y sistemas de gobierno)
4.0
Choose a government system that would work for a fictional country. Describe it’s form and structure
3.0
Learning Goal: Derived from the Standard/Benchmark
Compare different forms of government (direct democracy, representative democracy, socialism, communism, monarchy, oligarchy, and autocracy)
Compare parliamentary, federal, confederal and unitary systems of government.
2.0
Learning Target: Learning targets that build foundational knowledge, should include supplemental standards
The student recognizes and describes specific terminology such as:
Democracy, Representative Democracy, Republic, Direct Democracy, Socialism, Monarchy, Constitutional Monarchy, Absolute Monarchy, Communism, Parliamentary, Oligarchy, Autocracy, Unitary, totalitarian, Federal, Theocracy, Dictatorship, Anarchy, Confederal
The student will: Be able to distinguish between forms of government and systems of government
Notes: Forms of Government
Democracy (Direct)
Democracy means rule by the people. (In Greek, demo means people.) In a democracy, citizens hold the political power, and a written constitution usually establishes the laws that all, including the government, must follow. In a direct democracy, every single citizen is expected to participate in lawmaking, and each proposes and votes on laws himself or herself. Direct democracy is difficult to manage in a large country with many citizens. The best example in history is Athens, a city-state in ancient Greece. Today, certain parts of Switzerland are the only true direct democracies.
Democracy (Representative)
The people also rule in a representative democracy, but somewhat differently. In representative democracies, also called republics, citizens elect leaders called representatives to vote and make decisions for them and to manage the country on a day-to-day basis. The people don’t vote on laws—they vote for those who do. Citizens are still in charge, though, because they elect their representatives and can replace them with different ones if they wish. The United States and France are modern examples of republics.
Monarchy
In a monarchy, a king or queen rules the country. Monarchs usually inherit their position by birth, so that the first-born son of a king usually becomes the next king when his father dies. In the past, many monarchs held total control and had the final say over their governments. Today, most remaining monarchies contain elements of representative democracies, so that kings are limited by a written constitution and by other branches of government. The United Kingdom and Norway are examples of limited monarchies existing today.
Socialism
Socialism is as much an economic system as a political one. Socialist countries aim to protect citizens from economic inequality. Governments achieve this by playing an active role in managing the economy. Instead of business being entirely in the hands of citizens, socialist governments control and redistribute wealth in an effort to provide greater equality. Socialist governments can be elected democratically. Venezuela is a modern example of a socialist country.
Communism
Communism can be viewed as a more extreme version of socialism. The goal of a communist government is complete economic and social equality for all citizens. Everyone is to have the same. All property is owned by the government and basically shared by citizens. To achieve this goal, communist governments have extreme control over the lives of citizens. In history, many communist governments have wound up resembling dictatorships. For much of the twentieth century, Russia was a communist nation called the Soviet Union. Cuba is a modern example.
Autocracy
Autocracy is a government where one person has all the power. (In Greek, auto means self.) A monarchy, described above, is a kind of autocracy, but as you learned, most kings and queens today have limits on their power and share it with citizens. A monarch who does not and who still holds absolute power would be an autocrat. Saudi Arabia still has this kind of autocratic monarchy today. Dictatorship is another kind of autocracy. A dictator sometimes comes to power through a revolution and then refuses to give up power or allow elections. North Korea is an example of an autocracy today.
Oligarchy
In an oligarchy, the few rule, not the many. A minority of people, usually the wealthier and more influential people in society, has the power. The few who rule might be members of a political party, a religious group, a social class, the military, or an ethnic group. These oligarchs may be elected but often inherit their positions as a birthright. Iran, which is controlled by religious leaders, is an example of an oligarchy today.
REMEDIATION: USE THESE ACTIVITIES FOR EXTRA EFFORT AND TO MASTER THE BENCHMARK
3.1
Option 1:
- Watch the video on “Forms of Government Part One” at http://civics360.org/modules/H1RDFntHg
- Then watch the video on “Forms of Government Part Two” at http://civics360.org/modules/H1RDFntHg
- Answer the questions below and turn them in to your teacher.
- What is meant by the phrase ‘form of government’?
- Explain the three basic powers of all governments
- Define oligarchy and monarchy. How does power in a monarchy differ from that in an oligarchy?
- How does power differ between a constitutional monarchy and an absolute monarchy?
- How might someone come to power in a dictatorship?
- What is an autocracy?
- What are the differences between the two types of autocracies you learned about?
- Then complete these charts on your own paper:
Type of Government
In the United States, citizens elect representatives to federal, state and local government positions. These representatives make decisions for the people.
The Soviet Union had a written constitution that got rid of social classes and had government ownership of all property. The government made all of the economic decisions and had lots of control over people.
Some Native American tribes organize themselves by having all male adult members of the tribe vote to make changes to the laws.
Scenario
Type of Government
In some South American countries in the mid 20th century, a military leader would sometimes take all power through a military revolt against the government. In France during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, King Louis XIV declared that he had all of the power in the country because it was his right as king.
In the early United States, political power was limited to a small group of white male landowners. What type of government is being described here?
Option 2:
Watch and participate in the tutorial at Florida Student “Which Government Is Which?” at:
http://floridastudents.org/PreviewResource/StudentResource/119941
When finished take a screenshot of the completion screen (or print it out) and show it to your teacher.
REMEDIATION: USE THESE ACTIVITIES FOR EXTRA EFFORT AND TO MASTER THE BENCHMARK
3.2
Option 1:
Watch the video on “Systems of Government” at http://civics360.org/modules/SJ6nahFrl
Answer the questions below and turn them in to your teacher.
- What are three powers all forms of government have?
- Where is the power in a parliamentary system of government?
- Who do citizens vote for in a parliamentary system?
- Who is the leader in a parliamentary system? What “body” of government holds most of the power in a parliamentary system?
- In a federal system of government, how is the power shared?
- In a confederal system of government, where is the power held?
- Who usually holds most of the power in a unitary system of government?
- What is the relationship between the national government and the states in a unitary system of government?
- Recreate and complete this chart on your own paper:
Which system of government is this?
Scenario 1: The power of government is held with the legislative body, with a Prime Minister in charge.
Scenario 2: There is no central power of government, instead government power is held with at the lower government unit level, such as a state.
Scenario 3: The power of government is shared between the central (national) government and the states.
Scenario 4: Government power is held with the central (national) government.
Option 2:
Watch and participate in the tutorial at Florida Student “Differing Democracies: Parliamentary and Presidential Systems” at http://floridastudents.org/PreviewResource/StudentResource/128055
AND “Government: A “Systemic” Approach” at http://floridastudents.org/PreviewResource/StudentResource/167293
When finished take a screenshot of the completion screens (or print it out) and show them to your teacher.