The Basics
In this form of democracy, the citizens vote for the legislature, and the legislature then chooses the leader (Head of Government)
What is a parliamentary democracy?
Both Mexico and Brazil, along with almost all Latin American countries, have this specific type of democratic system.
What is a presidential democracy?
Cuba is currently the only country in Latin America with this type of government where one person or a small group holds all the power.
What is an autocracy (dictatorship)?
This is the name of the legislative body that citizens in both Canada and Australia vote for.
What is Parliament?
This term describes a government where unlimited power is held by a single self-appointed ruler.
What is an autocracy/autocratic government?
In this form of democracy, the citizens vote directly for the leader, who is separate from the legislature.
What is a presidential democracy?
DOUBLE POINTS: Unlike Mexico, Brazil has this requirement of all citizens ages 18-70 in regards to the democratic process?
What is: all citizens between 18-70 years old are required by law to vote in national elections?
After the Cuban Revolution of 1959, Cuba became this kind of government.
What is a communist government?
This is the term used for the political group in the Australian House of Representatives that has the most members and generally selects the Prime Minister.
What is the majority party?
Out of the governments we studied in Canada, Latin America, and Australia, this is the country in which citizens have the least amount of participation.
What is Cuba?
This is the common title for the Head of Government in a Parliamentary system, like those in Canada and Australia.
What is the Prime Minister?
Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo is the first woman and first Jewish person to become the President of this Latin American country.
What is Mexico?
Even though Cuban citizens 16 and older are able to vote, this is the reason why many choose not to.
What is: only members of the Communist Party are able to run for office?
Because the King of England cannot be in two places at once, he appoints this person to represent him in Australia and Canada.
Who is the governor-general?
DOUBLE POINTS: These are the three powers and responsibilities that citizens have in a democratic government.
What are voting, speaking freely, and running for office?
This is the title given to a member of the government who has limited real power and acts more as a symbol for a country and its culture.
What is the Head of State?
This is the term used to describe the legislative bodies of Mexico and Brazil that are both divided into two houses.
What is bicameral?
DOUBLE POINTS: This is the title of the person who holds the most power in Cuba’s government.
What is the President?
True or False: In a Parliamentary Democracy, the Head of State and the Head of Government are usually the same person.
This is the term (two words) used for the method by which citizens choose their leader in a presidential democracy.
What is direct election?
These are the powers vested in the legislative and executive branches of a democratic government in regard to laws.
What are:
Legislative power: to create/write the laws
Executive Power: to enforce the law (punish those who break the law)
The governments of Brazil and Mexico use this term to describe how government power is divided between the national, state, and local levels.
What is federalized/federalization?
This is the term used to describe the legislative body of Cuba, the National Assembly of the People's Power, that is made up of only one house.
What is unicameral?
This is the term used to describe countries like Australia and Canada who were once controlled by Great Britain and now work closely with Great Britain and use the monarch of England as their Head of State.
What is the British Commonwealth?
This is the primary difference in how the Head of Government of Canada and the Head of Government of Mexico are chosen in relation to citizen participation.
What is: the Head of Government of Canada (Prime Minister) is selected by the legislature who are elected by the citizens, and the Head of Government is directly elected by the citizens?