Forms of Government
What type of government has power concentrated in a central government, with local governments having only the powers granted to them?
What is a unitary government?
Who is the philosopher who believed in natural rights such as life, liberty, and property and argued that government should protect these rights?
Who is John Locke?
Which branch of government is responsible for making laws?
What is the legislative branch?
What term refers to the right to make decisions and enforce rules?
What is authority?
In this type of democracy, citizens vote directly on laws and policies.
What is a direct democracy?
This type of government gives most of the power to individual states, with the central government holding much less power.
A: What is a confederate government?
Which philosopher believed that people need a powerful government to avoid chaos and that society enters into a social contract?
Who is Thomas Hobbes?
Which branch of government is responsible for enforcing laws and managing daily operations?
What is the executive branch?
What term describes a political entity with its own government and the power to make laws without interference from other countries?
What is a sovereign state?
This type of government is a representative democracy, where the people elect leaders to make decisions on their behalf.
What is a representative democracy?
This government system attempts to balance the power between a strong central government and individual states.
What is a federal government?
This document begins with the words “We the People” and sets out the purposes of the government of the United States.
A: What is the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution?
This branch of government interprets the laws and ensures they are applied fairly.
What is the judicial branch?
What term refers to the central government having supreme power over its territory and making laws for the entire country?
What is sovereignty?
This form of government is often associated with a king or queen ruling the country, either with absolute power or limited by law.
What is a monarchy?
What type of government has absolute power concentrated in one person or a small group, often obtained through force?
What is a dictatorship?
The belief that people have the right to create, change, or overthrow their government if it fails to protect their rights is associated with which philosopher?
Who is John Locke?
This system of government has a prime minister who is chosen from the legislature and is accountable to it.
What is a parliamentary system?
This term refers to the system where a small group holds power, often based on wealth or military control.
What is an oligarchy?
This term refers to a government system where the state seeks to control all aspects of public and private life.
What is totalitarianism?
In this form of government, the power lies in the people, who either directly participate or elect representatives.
What is a democracy?
Hobbes and Locke both wrote about the relationship between people and government. Which one argued for a government with absolute power?
Who is Thomas Hobbes?
In a presidential system, this person is both the head of state and government, elected separately from the legislature.
Who is the president?
In a unitary system, which level of government has the most power?
What is the central government?
In this form of democracy, the executive and legislative branches are separate, and the executive is elected independently.
What is a presidential system?