SS7CG4a

Describe the ways government systems

distribute power: unitary, confederation,

and federal. Concept:

Governance

Vocabulary Words To Know

Unitary Confederation Federal

UNITARY

•characterized by or constituting a form of government in which power is held by one central authority.

CONFEDERATION

•voluntary associations of independent states that, to secure some common purpose, agree to certain limitations on their freedom of action and establish some joint machinery of consultation or deliberation.

FEDERAL

•characterized by or constituting a form of government in which power is divided between one central and several regional authorities.

SSCG4a

Below are distribution of power examples

Saudi Arabia United Nations United States

FEDERALUNITARY CONFEDERATION

Form of government where one central group holds ALL the power.

Group of independent states that have a common interest or purpose that SHARES the power.

Form of government where power is DIVIDED between one central group and several regional groups.

DISTRIBUTION OF POWER

SS7CG4b

Explain how governments determine

citizen participation: autocratic, oligarchic,

and democratic. Concept:

Governance

Vocabulary Words To Know

Autocratic Oligarchic Democratic

AUTOCRATIC

•government in which one person possesses unlimited power and the citizen has little if any role in the government. (like a dictatorship or even a monarchy)

OLIGARCHIC

•government by the few, sometimes a government in which a small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish purposes. The citizen has a very limited role.

DEMOCRATIC

•a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people an exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.

SSCG4bBelow are citizen participation examples

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION

AUTOCRATIC

DEMOCRATIC

Government where the citizens have all the power either directly or indirectly through free elections.

Government where a small group of people who have all the power and the citizen has a very limited role.

Government where one person has unlimited power and the citizen has little if any role or rights.

OLIGARCHIC

Former Iraq Former Taliban Israel and Saudi Arabia Regime in Afghanistan

SS7CG4c

Describe the two predominant forms of

democratic governments:

parliamentary and presidential. Concept:

Governance

Vocabulary Words To Know

Parliamentary Presidential

PARLIAMENTARY

• a democracy having a parliament, a system of government having the real executive power vested in a cabinet composed of members of the legislature who are individually and collectively responsible to the legislature. May have a Prime Minister elected by the legislature.

PRESIDENTIAL

•a system of government in which the president is constitutionally independent of the legislature.

SSCG4cBelow are democratic government examples

DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTS

ISRAEL IRAN

PARLIAMENTARYA cabinet (group of people) or Prime Minister elected by the legislature and not the citizens. Legislative branch that makes the laws have a large share of the power.

PRESIDENTIALThe President is elected by the citizens and is part of the executive branch, not the legislative branch.

SS7CG5a

Compare the parliamentary democracy of the State of Israel, the monarchy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the theocracy of the

Islamic Republic of Iran, distinguishing the form of leadership and the role of the citizen in terms

of voting rights and personal freedoms.

Concept:Governance

Vocabulary Words To Know

Democracy

Monarchy Theocracy

DEMOCRACY

•a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people an exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.

MONARCHY

•a form of government in which supreme authority is held by a single hereditary ruler, such as a king

THEOCRACY

• is a form of government in which a god or deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler. In a pure theocracy, the civil leader is believed to have a direct personal connection with God. Currently is the type of government in the nation of Iran.

COUNTRY

TYPE OF GOVERNMEN

T

FORM OF LEADERSHIP

VOTING RIGHTS

PERSONAL FREEDOMS

STATEOF

ISRAEL

KINGDOMOF

SAUDI ARABIA

ISLAMICREPUBLI

COF

IRAN

COUNTRY TYPE OF GOVERNMENT

FORM OF LEADERSHIP

VOTING RIGHTS

PERSONAL FREEDOMS

STATEOF

ISRAEL

PARLIAMENTARYDEMOCRACY

PRIME MINISTER (head of state)How does the prime minister become the leader?Prime Minister is selected (chosen) by the legislative branch, which in Israel is the Knesset (kind of like our Congress in the U.S.) Citizens vote for members of the Knesset, but cannot vote for the Prime Minister. This is a big difference compared to a presidential democracy.

PARLIAMENTARY

DEMOCRATICUniversal (men

and women) voting age 18 years and up

Law provides for right to vote, freedom of speech (except if it risks national security), freedom of religion, right to privacy, right to fair trial etc. However, many instances exist of prejudice against its Arab citizens.

KINGDOMOF

SAUDI ARABIA

MONARCHYExample of a

Unitary distribution of

power

MONARCH (King) How does the monarch (king) become the leader?A monarch (king) is the hereditary ruler, usually the first born son of the king (birthright), no election. In Muslim monarchies a female cannot become queen like in other countries. The king and his relatives are known as royal families and usually control the wealth of a country.

AUTOCRATICOnly men 21 and over can

vote when the government

allows.

Human rights in Saudi Arabia are based on Sharia. Many political freedoms do not exist. Capital punishment given without due process. Religious and political minorities as well as women do not have many rights.

ISLAMICREPUBLI

COF

IRAN

THEOCRATICDEMOCRACY

PRESIDENT (political leader)How does the president become the political leader?A president is elected by the citizens by a popular vote and becomes leader of the executive branch that enforces the laws of a country. AYATOLLAH (religious leader)How did the ayatollah become the religious leader?They are appointed (selected) by religious leaders (Assembly of Experts) in the country and serve this role for life. Their influence on the elected president is very powerful. This is why Iran is a theocracy and the laws of the Quran are followed.

PRESIDENTIALDEMOCRATICTHEOCRACY

Universal voting age 16 and up

The new government continues to close down newspapers, silence opposing voices and ban or censor books and websites. The peaceful demonstrations and protests of the previous era are no longer tolerated.