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?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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.