| A | B |
|---|
| Government needs to be divided | between the state & its political subdivisions |
| 3 basic ways government is divided | centralized power, sovereign states, or divided powers |
| centralized government | unitary government |
| sovereign states | confederation |
| divided powers | federalism |
| unitary govt. | government power is very centralized with authority over all subdivisions |
| traits of a unitary govt | uniform, consistent policies |
| traits of a unitary govt | policies are inflexible & applied to all without concern for differing needs |
| each state in the US | has a unitary government with control over local governments |
| confederation | 2 or more states join together for mutual benefit |
| confederation | has limited power |
| confederation | considered unstable & does not exist in modern day |
| first example of a federal system | US Constitution of 1787 |
| federalism | blend of unitary government and confederation |
| government can be classified | based on number of people ruling |
| autocracy | one person has both political power & authority |
| monarchy | most common; ruler usually inherits the title |
| monarchy | absolute rule-total power |
| limited monarchy | rulers power is checked by law or law making body |
| constitutional monarchies | most common form of monarchy; rulers are figureheads |
| dictatorship | type of autocracy |
| dictatorship | leader seizes power through force and fear |
| dictatorship | tend to limit freedom and suppress opposition |
| oligarchy | government by small group of people |
| oligarchy | based on wealth and some based on social status |
| totalitarian rule | dictatorship and oligarchy |
| totalitarian rule | authoritarian-control and authority over people |
| totalitarian leader | tries to reshape the state, people, & society completely |
| totalitarian society | individuals exist only to serve the state & are controlled by fear and violence |
| totalitarian society-mass media | used to shape how people think |
| first totalitarian rulers | Mussolini & Hitler in the 1920's & 1930's |
| democracy | rule by the people |
| due to size limitations | no direct democracies exist today |
| representative democracy | rule by the people |
| direct democracy | all citizens participate in government |
| representative democracy | people elect representatives to make laws & public policy on their behalf |
| republic | any government where people exercise political power through elected representatives |
