Types of Government (Part 1)

Standard: MO SS 2 1.9 Compare and contrast governmental systems, current and historical, including those that are democratic, totalitarian, monarchic, and theocratic, and describe their impact.
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Homework: Read 1-12 in Edwards 

Readings due Thursday:
Pluralism
Pluralism and Democracy
Elite Theory

Identification Terms:
Essential APGOV Terms to Understand (quiz this Thursday)

Unit 1 Identification Terms (Origins)
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Today we are looking at various forms of government found throughout the world. First, discuss this question with your group:

It does not matter what type of government is in place as long as the citizens are well-fed, healthy and safe. Agree or disagree?

There are many ways to classify government systems, but the most common method was developed by Aristotle that is based on the number of rulers. However, you can also classify governments based on where power is located (national vs. state) or based on the relationship between the legislative and executive branches. The types of government that we are going to look at are:

• Anarchy
• Absolute Monarchy
• Autocracy
• Confederal
• Constitutional Monarchy
• Dictatorship
• Direct Democracy
• Federal
• Oligarchy
• Parliamentary
• Presidential
• Republic (Representative Democracy)
• Theocracy
• Unitary

First, read about some of the different types of government. Define/explain the bolded terms above in your notes as you read.


Next, in your notes, complete the two assessments below on the various forms of government. 

Assessment #1

Assessment #2

What are the advantages and disadvantages of each government system?

For Review: