A. Confederation
• Confederation – A loose association of states
• Characterized by a weak central government
• Only has power granted by member states
• U.S. has had two – Articles of Confederation and Confederate States of America
B. Autocracy • Autocracy – Single person holds
unlimited power• Most common form of government
in history• Authoritarian – Have unlimited
authority over people
C. Types of Autocracy • 1) Dictatorship – Absolute power is
exercised by one person who usually obtains power through force
• Dictare (Latin) – “Give commands”• Totalitarian – Total control over the
lives of people
• 2) Monarchy – Government ruled by kings and queens
• Absolute Monarchy – Have complete control of the people– Saudi Arabia
• Constitutional Monarchy – Share power with elected officials– Great Britain and Japan
D. Oligarchy•Oligarchy – Power to rule is
held by a small, usually self-appointed elite group
• Most communist are oligarchies
• China
E. Democracy
•Demos (Greek) – “People”•Kratic (Greek)
“Rule/authority”•Democracy – Government
that functions by the authority of the people
F. Two Types of Democracy
• 1) Direct Democracy (Pure Democracy) – Political decisions are made by all people instead of elected representatives
• Used in ancient Greek city-states• Not practical for modern society
• 2) Representative Democracy (Republic) – People elect officials to carry out the work of government
• Type of government found in most countries today
• Founding Fathers admired the Roman system of government where the upper classes led the government and military
• Found the direct democracy of ancient Greece less appealing
• Many believed that history illustrated the dangers of democracy
G. Two Types of Representative
Democracy• 1) Presidential – Lawmaking and
law-enforcing branches of government are separate but equal
• Government found in U.S.A• Federalism – Powers of
government are divided between central and local governments