7th Grade – Government Terms

OLIGARCHY• Rule by a small group, usually using

wealth or force to keep power.

Own it…What might it be like to live in a country with this type of government?

Think about it… Would you get to vote? Who would your leader be? How would laws be made?

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THEOCRACY• God is the supreme ruler, but government

laws are decided by religious leaders based on what God ‘would want’.

Example: Iran

Own it…What might it be like to live in a country with this type of government?

Think about it… Would you get to vote? Who would your leader be? How would laws be made?

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DEMOCRACY• power is held by the people; they elect leaders

and rule by majority, or they elect representatives to vote for them (republic).

Own it…What might it be like to live in a country with this type of government?

Think about it… Would you get to vote? Who would your leader be? How would laws be made?

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Parliamentary Democracy• Democratic form of government where the

political party with the most representation in the parliament forms the government. Its leader becomes Prime Minister.

Prime Minister David Cameron

Parliament chooses Prime Minister

Parliament

Own it…What might it be like to live in a country with this type of government?

Think about it… Would you get to vote? Who would your leader be? How would laws be made?

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Presidential Democracy• Democratic form of government where the head of

government is directly elected and legislators are chosen in a different election.

Separate branches

PresidentBarack Obama Legislature

House of RepresentativesSenate

Own it…What might it be like to live in a country with this type of government?

Think about it… Would you get to vote? Who would your leader be? How would laws be made?

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MONARCHY• Form of government where a monarch

has supreme power, usually for life, and usually by birth; family.

Emperor Akihito of Japan

Queen Elizabeth IIof England

Own it…What might it be like to live in a country with this type of government?

Think about it… Would you get to vote? Who would your leader be? How would laws be made?

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DICTATORSHIP• Form of government where power is in the

hands of one person who has complete control of all government decisions. Power is usually gained or kept with force.

Muammar Qaddafiof LibyaSaddam Hussein

of Iraq

Adolf Hitlerof Germany

Crown Prince Abdullahof Saudi Arabia

Omar Al-Bashirof Sudan

SOCIALISM• Form of government where

government owns important businesses and controls some economic decisions.

COMMUNISM• Form of government where

government owns all businesses and makes all economic decisions.