Unit 4 study guide
explain how power is acquired in type of government
A constitutional monarchy has an either hereditary or elected monarch that is non-political. They are bound by the constitution unlike absolute rulers. The power to pass legislation is with the parliament. The monarch is politically neutral and is advised by ministers on almost everything. The monarch appoints prime ministers, approves certain legislation, and bestows honors. Absolute monarchy is a monarchical form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government, his or her powers are not limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch wields unrestricted political power over the sovereign state and its people. In an absolute monarchy, the transmission of power is twofold; hereditary and marital.
Explain the 2 types of democracy government.
A democracy is defined as a type of government in which the citizens of the particular country have the right to participate in the decision-making process. In the presidential form of democracy, the president of the country is both the head of state and the head of government. In this form, the president is elected by the citizens. A direct democracy is one in which the people govern directly. Known also as a pure democracy, the people vote on policies directly, rather than through any sort of parliamentary body. Switzerland is a country that follows a direct democratic system of government. A representative democracy, also called an indirect democracy, differs from both the presidential and direct democracies because the people elect a representative body of individuals. Those individuals then are tasked with making decisions and voting on policies on behalf of the people. The head of state in a representative democracy is someone different than the head of government or the prime minister. The United Kingdom, with its governmental system that includes a queen as the head of state, is an example of a representative democracy.
Which economic system would you find a higher level of living.
Economists generally recognize three distinct types of economic system. These are 1) command economies; 2) market economies and 3) traditional economies. Each of these kinds of economies answers the three basic economic questions (What to produce, how to produce it, for whom to produce it) in different ways. In a command economy, the government decides the answers to the three basic questions. It decides what will be made, how they will be made, and who will get them. Recently, pure command economies have usually been communist countries. Good examples today would be North Korea and China. In a market economy, consumers decide the answers to the three questions. They do this by their choices of what to buy. No one tells companies what to make -- they make whatever they think will sell. If they choose wrong, they go out of business. Most developed economies today are predominantly market economies. The US, Japan and Germany are all market economies. In a traditional economy, the three questions get answered by referring to tradition -- you make what has always been made, in the way it has always been made, etc. There aren't really any countries whose whole economies are traditional. The closest you could get to this would be Afghanistan or Bhutan -- places where there is little connection to the global economy.
Describe the following types of governments: autocracy, Oligarchy, Democracy, and Theocracy.
First, we will discuss the major types of political systems, describing them in very general terms. Anarchy Anarchy is the complete lack of political systems. In a way, it is the state of nature, where there are no rules and the strongest have power over the weakest. Though nations might devolve into anarchy following internal strife or natural disaster, anarchy cannot be sustained. At a minimum, an anarchic nation will produce a tyrannical leader, and some sense of order eventually develops. Dictatorship In a dictatorship, one person has absolute power. Though there is typically a military and a bureaucracy in such a nation, and though there are typically laws to dictate everyday goings-on, the dictator has complete discretion. Typically, the dictator takes on, or assumes, an aura of a deity, or a cult of personality emerges. Examples include Mussolini's Italy, Hitler's Germany, and Kim's North Korea. Dictatorial systems are often based on military power, and the term "military dictatorship" is used. Autocracy An autocracy is the same as a dictatorship — but the term is often used to convey something less sinister than "dictatorship" implies. An autocrat may have less a cult of personality than a dictator has. Oligarchy An oligarchy is, literally, rule by a few. Oligarchies are often the evolution of dictatorships from rule by a single person to rule by a small group of people. Examples include England in 1215, when the King was forced by nobles to sign the Magna Carta, or South Africa following the alliance of the English- and Afrikaans-speaking elite. Theocracy A theocracy is an oligarchy based on religion — the group is ruled by the group's spiritual leaders. Religion is a powerful human phenomenon, and religious leaders can often exert great influence over the group's actions. Examples include many modern Islamic states, such as Iran or Afghanistan under the Taliban, and Puritan Massachusetts. Monarchy A monarchy is best described in the same way that a dictatorship is. One key difference is that dictatorship is used as a derisive term, and monarchy is seen as much more benign. Historically, however, kings and queens have been as brutal as many modern dictators. The major difference is the transfer of power. In a dictatorship, power is often not transferred at all — the death of the dictator signals the end of the dictatorship; or it is transferred to a hand-picked successor. Monarchies typically have much stricter, hereditary systems of succession, such that a monarch's first-born son is elevated to king upon the monarch's death. Past and present examples include Saudi Arabia, England, and Thailand. Democracy Though the word "democracy" is used in many contexts today, strictly speaking, a democracy is a system where the people rule. Each decision that needs to be made is made by the people in toto. Such systems are tenable only in groups up to a certain size — when larger, debate and voting become lengthy and cumbersome. Representative democracy or Indirect democracy As pure democracy quickly becomes unworkable, a variation on the form quickly evolved. In this system, representatives of large groups of people are selected and these representatives meet to conduct the government. The selection of representatives is typically via election, where a selection of candidates for the position are put before the people, and by majority vote, one of them is chosen. Several levels of indirection are possible as the system grows: for example, in the United States prior to the 17th Amendment, Senators were chosen by state legislators, which were chosen by the people. Plutocracy In a plutocracy, the ones with the most resources aqre the ones who rule. The most common place to see plutocracy in action is in emerging democracies, where the leaders look to wealthy citizens for guidance on governmental affairs. Such contacts do not necessarily have to approach plutocracy, but because of the human propensity for attraction to wealth and the human propensity for attraction to power, the combination of the two can, at a minimum, radiate plutocratic features. Aristocracy In an aristocracy, the upper class of citizens, however that might be defined in any one society, holds the power. Heredity, or rule by right of birth, plays a large role in continuing power. Aristocracy is closely related to both plutocracy and monarchy. In a typical system, such as that of medieval England, one family from a group of aristocratic families rises above the rest, either through military conquest or agreement between the families. Meritocracy "Meritocracy" is a phrase that has some political baggage attached to it, not so much as a political system in itself, but as a modifier of another type of system. Colloquially, then, a meritocracy is a political system whereby the most deserving people lead. But it does have a more formal definition: where the leaders are chosen from the masses based on those who have achieved the most. "Achievement" is a vague term, and can be societally based, such as those who are the best educated, those with the most money or land, or those with the most fame; in this way, an aristocracy, plutocracy, or even a theocracy can be called a meritocracy. Stratocracy A stratocracy is a government run directly by the military; stratocracies are more commonly known as military dictatorships. There have been relatively few pure stratocracies over time, though there have been many nations with a strong military but with (at least nominal) civilian rule. See "The Military" below. Cleptocracy A cleptocracy is generally a more specific description of a dictatorship: literally, a cleptocracy is a government sustained by stealing. As such, the circle of power must necessarily be a small one. The rulers and his or her inner circle steal national resources or the profits thereof (such as diamonds or oil); use foreign aid for personal gain; and use the national treasury to further personal aims. Because such actions would rarely be tolerated by an informed public, the press is often complicit or government-run and democratic features like elections are for show or are nonexistent. Corpocracy Following a 2010 Supreme Court ruling (Citizens United v Federal Election Commission), this term began to appear in the popular media. The decision dictated that campaign contribution limits on corporate donors were unconstitutional, and it was feared that a subsequent increase of corporate funding would lead to members of Congress being "owned" by sponsoring companies. Such members of Congress would then be more interested in furthering the interests of the corporations than of the people.
define a sovereign state
In international law, a sovereign state is a nonphysical juridical entity that is represented by one centralised government that has sovereignty over a geographic area.
who do citizens vote for in a presidential democracy.
they use representatives
Give an example for each economic system.
An economic system is loosely defined as country's plan for its services, goods produced, and the exact way in which its economic plan is carried out. In general, there are three major types of economic systems prevailing around the world. In a market economy, national and state governments play a minor role. Instead, consumers and their buying decisions drive the economy. In this type of economic system, the assumptions of the market play a major role in deciding the right path for a country's economic development. Market economies aim to reduce or eliminate entirely subsidies for a particular industry, the pre-determination of prices for different commodities, and the amount of regulation controlling different industrial sectors. The absence of central planning is one of the major features of this economic system. Market decisions are mainly dominated by supply and demand. The role of the government in a market economy is to simply make sure that the market is stable enough to carry out its economic activities properly. A planned economy is also sometimes called a command economy. The most important aspect of this type of economy is that all major decisions related to the production, distribution, commodity and service prices, are all made by the government. The planned economy is government directed, and market forces have very little say in such an economy. This type of economy lacks the kind of flexibility that is present a market economy, and because of this, the planned economy reacts slower to changes in consumer needs and fluctuating patterns of supply and demand. On the other hand, a planned economy aims at using all available resources for developing production instead of allotting the resources for advertising or marketing. A mixed economy combines elements of both the planned and the market economies in one cohesive system. This means that certain features from both market and planned economic systems are taken to form this type of economy. This system prevails in many countries where neither the government nor the business entities control the economic activities of that country - both sectors play an important role in the economic decision-making of the country. In a mixed economy there is flexibility in some areas and government control in others. Mixed economies include both capitalist and socialist economic policies and often arise in societies that seek to balance a wide range of political and economic views.
Explain the 3 types of Autocratic government.
Autocracies are often monarchies- because most kings have absolute power. A dictatorship could also be a monarch, since a monarch with total power dictated everything s/he wanted. But that doesn't mean all monarchies are autocracies either, since today we have constitutional monarchies with a figurehead to represent the state yet wielding little political power. So the Roman Empire can be described as an autocracy because the Caesars wielded tremendous power, despite the fact that they hid behind the title "princeps"- meaning 1st citizen- to avoid being labelled a tyrant. This is why modern historians refer to them as emperors: back in those days they wouldn't be called such unless you want to spend your last moments in the coliseum. Prior to the imperial period, the Senate decided political matters, which makes it an oligarchy. A "true" democracy is very hard to come by, because a "true democracy" demands everyone as a whole decides political matters, but of course when you have a country of 300 million people, that's not going to happen. Referendums are examples of "true democracies" because it demands that everyone participate. Most democracies are representative- people vote specific individuals to decide political affairs for them. This is the usual mode of democracy found in modern countries, Canada, Britain, US, etc. You can even argue that these countries are more like "broad oligarchies" because in reality it really IS a small number of people deciding politics for everyone else. A much more accurate example of a typical oligarchy is China- citizens don't vote, but party members do. And voting may be to the consent of the people entirely by chance. Even ancient Athens, the founder of democracy, was actually an oligarchy- you were qualified to vote only if you served in the military, a male citizen, owned a particularly amount of wealth, and unofficially had the right connections. If you weren't ANY of those you could not participate in politics. Finally these are all names of government systems. Like in Rome, it was deemed a democratic republic, but in reality ruler-ship was largely autocratic. But autocratic does not necessarily mean an oligarchy amongst the ruler's subordinates exist. In Nazi Germany Hitler was not actually an autocrat- although he held final say over matters, he left most everyday political/administrative affairs to underlings that basically carved Germany into a modern feudal realm with their own little jurisdictions. Hitler rarely intervened on matters because he counted on them doing whatever they wanted- since they were Nazis loyal to him, anything they did would have advanced Hitler's agenda...so he thought.
list and describe the 4 types of economic systems
Market economy- An economic system in which individuals own and operate different factions of production. Command economy - An economic system in which government owns and operates all factions of production. Examples: Socialism & Communism. Traditional Economy - An economic system based on culture and tradition. Economy is based on agriculture and hunting. Examples: Non-Industrialized agrarian societies. Mixed Economy - An economic system where both command and market systems are featured. Examples: United States is not a pure capitalist country for there are forms of socialism instilled in it to benefit individuals in need of services and has minimum wages, however, free enterprise reigns in the U.S. China also has both forms of economy, however, the Chinese government controls the prices and production.
How are decisions in a democracy made?
One view Democracy is a government in which all the people that have come of age in a country can vote to elect their representatives. So, in other words the people make the decisions. It is a fair and equal treatment of everyone in an organization. vmdivndv Another view I believe the previous answer is misleading because it confuses voting with decision making. The only time the citizens of a democracy make any decisions (apart from who gets elected) is when they are consulted in a referendum. In Switzerland, most legislation is decided in this way. In almost every other democracy, this is not the case. Decisions are made by the government, not the people who elected the government. The exact process of decision making is determined by the governance structure of the democracy. Thus some democracies are highly centralised, with few decisions left to local governance structures, while others are decentralised and allow considerable autonomy to local decision makers. In almost every democracy, who makes the decision is very often determined by the nature of the decision to be made. Thus a decison to go to war will often be made by the highest, most centralised institution of governance in the democracy, while a decsion to repair a certain stretch of road will normally be taken by a local council.
What is the difference between the type of government in a parliamentary democracy.
The major similarity between a presidential democracy and a parliamentary democracy is that both of these types of governments are democracies. This is a fundamental similarity that is, perhaps, more important than any differences. Both of these forms of democracy allow people to vote for their leaders. This makes them superior to other forms of government that do not allow their people to enjoy popular sovereignty. However, there are important differences between the two forms of democracy. First, a parliamentary democracy is less likely to encounter gridlock than a presidential democracy is. In a parliamentary system, there cannot be a situation in which the chief executive is from one party while the legislature is (in whole or in part) controlled by a different party. This makes the parliamentary system more efficient. Second, a presidential system allows for separation of powers where a parliamentary system does not. In a presidential system, there is a clear distinction between the legislative and the executive branches of government. Thus, these two types of government are similar in the most important way. However, a parliamentary system is more likely to be efficient while a presidential system allows for separation of powers and, thereby, greater protection of people's rights.
