Forms of Gov 1
Define "Autocracy"
A government in which one person has all the power
Define "Dictatorship"
A form of government in which a single person or group exercises supreme power over citizens’ lives by controlling the military and police.
Define "Anarchy"
Nobody is in control- no government, chaos ensues
What are the two levels power is distributed between in nation-states?
What to produce, how to produce it, and who to produce it for
Define "Absolute Monarchy"
King or queen holds all the power and has the final say over the government
Define "Totalitarian Government"
An extreme form of an authoritarian regime that seeks to control almost every aspect of its citizens’ lives.
Define "theocracy"
A government that recognizes God or a divine being as the ultimate authority and is headed by religious leaders.
What is a unitary system?
Centralized power- constitution concentrates power in national government. Regional governments exercise only the powers granted to them.
What are some characteristics of a traditional economy?
Customs answer economic questions.
People provide for themselves
Live at subsistence level (only producing enough to feed, clothe, and house families)
Production and distribution of resources woven into fabric of society
Government not needed to regulate economic activities
Low standard of living
Define "Authoritarian Regime"
A system of government in which the state exercises broad control over the lives of its citizens.
Define "Constitutional Monarchy"
A system of government in which the powers of the monarch are limited by a constitution, either written or unwritten.
Define "Communism"
A single political party controls the government and that government owns all the land, factories, and resources of the country.
What is a federal system?
Divided power- the constitution divides power between national and regional governments — each with fixed responsibilities.
What are some characteristics of a market economy?
Individual producers and consumers answer economic questions
In a pure free-market economy, gov. has a small role in economics
Producers decide what goods to produce, consumers decide what to buy
Prices determined by market
Free enterprise system: profit motive, economic competition, and forces of supply and demand direct economy
Capitalism: individual investors own mean of production, workers provide labor for wages
Define "Fascism"
Resembles communism in terms of control of citizens, but it allows businesses to remain in private ownership, though under government control.
What is a junta?
A small group of people—usually military officers—who rule a country after taking it over by force.
Define "Oligarchy"
A small group of people has all the power.
What is a confederal system?
Decentralized power- power resides in the regions (independent states). The national government receives only as much power as needed for security and coordination.
What are some characteristics of a command economy?
Government answers economic questions
In pure command economy, means of production publicly owned
Government decides what goods and services produced, how, and distributed to consumers and at what cost
Based on political theories of socialism and communism
In theory, these economies ensure employment of all, bring stability, and distribute income more equally
In practice, workers have little incentive to work & government planners less efficient at making economic decisions than market
What is the difference between direct and representative democracy?
Representative- citizens elect leaders to represent their rights and interests in government.
Direct- citizens are directly involved in the day-to-day work of governing the country.
Name 3 differences between a parliamentary democracy and a presidential democracy
What are the 3 types of totalitarian governments?
Communism, Fascism, Nazism
What is one advantage of each type of system?
Confederal: Greater flexibility to meet local needs. Reduced likelihood for authoritarian regimes.
Federal: Flexibility to meet needs of different language and ethnic groups.
Unitary: Promotes national unity through uniform laws and policies.
What are the 4 factors of production that drive economies?
Land, labor, capital, entrepreneurship