Government/Civics Understandings

SS7CG4 The student will compare and contrast various forms of government

a. Describe the ways government systems distribute power; unitary, confederation, federal

Unitary Government System

  • Central government holds nearly all the power
  • Local government (such as state or county governments) may have some power, but are under the control of the central government.
  • Central government can change how local governments operate or abolish (get rid of) them
  • Some unitary governments have elected officials who can make and enforce laws without paying any attention to the opinions of the more local governments. (France is an example)
  • A monarchy, where the king and his advisors make most of the decisions, would be an example. Saudi Arabia (a monarchy) is an example of a country with a unitary government
  • The central government is like an umbrella covering everything (all government) beneath it.

Confederation Government System

  • Local governments hold all the power and central government only has as much power as the local governments give it.
  • In Southwest Asia, these are mostly organizations such as the League of Arab States (also called the Arab League) or the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

Federal Government System

  • A political system in which power is shared in levels of government.
  • Power is divided into national governments and state (or province, etc) governments.
  • The United States and Israel have federal governments.

b. Explain how governments determine citizen participation; autocratic, oligarchic, and democratic (People who live under different kinds of governments often find there are great differences in the rights given to individual citizens.)

Autocratic Government

  • Ruler has absolute power to do whatever he/she wants to do.
  • Can make and enforce any laws he/she wants.
  • Individuals in autocratic countries have no rights to choose their leaders or to vote on laws.
  • Some autocratic governments may allow the people to manage local affairs, but the central government keeps tight control of most important aspects (features) of the country’s life.
  • People have little or no power to use against the government if they disagree with decisions that have been made.
  • There are many different types of autocratic governments. An absolute monarchy such as Saudi Arabia is one. A dictatorship is another. .

Oligarchic Government

  • Oligarchy means “government by the few.”
  • A political party or small group of leaders takes over a government and makes all of the major decisions.
  • People have little choice.
  • Can be very similar to an autocratic government.
  • Iran is an example of an oligarchy, because a small group of religious and political leaders makes most of the important decisions.
  • The Supreme leader of Iran is the Grand Ayatollah (Ai Kahmenei). Government is administered by the President (Mamoud Ahmadinejad)

Democratic Government System

  • People pay a greater part in deciding who the rulers are and what decisions are made.
  • “Democracy” comes from the Greek word “demos” which means “people”.
  • People have a great deal of power in a democracy.
  • Goal in a democracy is for as much individual freedom as possible, but there must be some rules to organize society.
  • Decisions often made by majority votes.
  • Laws in place to protect individual rights.
  • People can ask government for help correcting situations where an individual feels his/her rights have been violated.
  • Israel is an example of a democracy.
  • Iraqis trying to establish a democracy.

c. Describe the two predominate forms of democratic governments; parliamentary and presidential.

Parliamentary Form of Democratic Government

  • People vote for members of Parliament (the legislative body of the government)
  • The legislature (Parliament) makes and carries out (enforces) the laws for the country.
  • The party with the majority of votes (seats in Parliament) chooses the leader (often called the Prime Minister).
  • The Prime Minister is recognized as the head of the government and can hold that position for however long the constitution allows.
  • May be voted out of office before the term runs out if the party he(she) leads begins to lose power.
  • New elections can be held to vote in a new Prime Minister.
  • Some parliamentary governments also have a “Head of State” who is mostly a ceremonial figure.
  • Jordan is a constitutional monarchy which has a King who serves as Chief of State. There is also a Prime Minister who is appointed to consult with the monarchy.
  • The Prime Minister holds his job at the wishes of the king.
  • In Israel citizens elect delegates to the national parliament called the Knesset.
  • The Prime Minister is selected from the members of the ruling party (those with the most seats).

Presidential Form of Democratic Government

  • Also called a congressional form of government
  • President, or chief executive, chosen separately from the legislature.
  • Legislature passes the laws while the president’s job is to make sure the laws are enforced.
  • President holds power separate from the legislature, but does not have the power to dismiss the legislature or force them to make particular laws.
  • President is the official head of the government.
  • Legislature does not have the power to dismiss the president, except in extreme cases when the impeachment process can be used.
  • President is both the Head of State and the head of the government.
  • The president is given specific powers and does not serve only in a ceremonial way.

Major Difference Between Parliamentary and Presidential Democracies:

  • A prime minister is a member of a parliament.
  • A president is not a member of congress. He is in a separate branch of the government.
  • President serves for a set period of time even if the ruling party begins to lose popularity.
  • Prime minister can be voted out if his party begins to lose popularity.

Can you answer these questions?

  1. Who has most of the power in a unitary government?
  2. What Southwest Asian country is a good example of a unitary government?
  3. Who has most of the power in a confederation government system?
  4. What would be a weakness of a confederation government system?
  5. Can you give an example of a confederate government system?
  6. What is meant by a federal system of government?
  7. What Southwest Asia country is a good example of a federal system of government?
  8. Who makes most of the important decisions in an autocracy?
  9. What Southwest Asian country can be described as an autocracy?
  10. Who makes most of the government decisions in an oligarchy?
  11. Why do individual voters have more power in a democracy than they do in an autocracy or an oligarchy?
  12. Which Southwest Asian country has a democratic system of government?

Use the information in the box to answer the next two questions.

  1. Which type of government is described in the passage? Is it unitary, a confederation, or federal?
  2. Would Saudi Arabia best be described as a democracy, dictatorship, monarchy, or oligarchy?
  3. Which branch of government is responsible for making and carrying out the laws in a parliamentary system of government?
  4. The leader of a parliamentary system is often called what?
  5. How is the leader of a parliamentary system of government chosen?
  6. What is the Head of State in a parliamentary system often called?
  7. In a presidential system of government, how is the president chosen?
  8. What is the role of the president regarding laws pass by the legislature?

SS7CG5 The student will explain the structures of the national governments of Southwest Asia

a. Compare the parliamentary democracy of the State of Israel, the monarchy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the theocracy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, distinguishing the form of leadership, and the role of the citizen in terms of voting rights and personal freedoms.

Israel Parliamentary democracy

  • People elect representatives from different political parties
  • The head of the government is usually the leader of the political party with the majority of elected delegates.
  • These people make the laws.
  • Israeli parliament is called the Knesset and the leader is the prime minister.
  • Israel has several different political parties.
  • Citizens over the age of 18 may vote for whomever they think is best
  • While most of Israel’s Jewish citizens are secular (do not feel the country’s laws should be based completely on religious beliefs), many Israeli laws are influenced by Orthodox Jews (those who want government policy to be made according to religious laws)
  • Orthodox Jews represent only about 25% of the Israeli population.
  • Elections are held every four years, unless the party in power begins to lose a majority of Knesset members.
  • If that happens, elections can be held earlier.

Saudi Arabia Hereditary Monarchy

  • Government ruled by a king who comes from a family that has ruled the country for several generations.
  • The al-Saud family has ruled since the 1920s.
  • The king’s advisors are family members or influential business and religious leaders.
  • The king and his advisors make the laws.
  • No written constitution and the king rules for life.
  • King is not chosen by the people. When the king dies, the family announces who the next king will be from among their male family members.
  • Conservative (moderate) religious leaders also have a great deal of influence in decisions made by the monarchy.
  • Much of their law is based on religious law found in the Quran.
  • Laws based on the teachings of the Quran are known as Shariah law.
  • Nearly all Saudi citizens are Muslim.

Iran Theocracy

  • A government in which God is seen as the true leader of the government and the country’s religious leaders serve as the political leaders.
  • Iran has a popularly elected president and legislature, but religious leaders also play a large role in the government.
  • Iran sometimes classified as a religious republic. (In a republic, people get to vote for their leaders)
  • Citizens over the age of 16 may vote.
  • Most Iranians are Shia Muslims who believe their religious leaders should play an active role in the government.
  • Many Shia clerics , or religious leaders, are involved in politics.
  • Many of them take the title Ayatollah(a title recognizing them for their great scholarship and understanding of religious law)
  • Decisions made by the Iranian government have an impact on countries around the world because they have so much oil and are a leading member of OPEC.
  • The Guardian Council, made up of 6 mullahs (scholars of Islamic learning) and 6 lawyers, acts as a constitutional court and approves the candidates that will be allowed to run for elected office..

Can you answer these questions?

  1. What is the Israeli Knesset called?
  2. What role do the religious leaders play in Israeli government?
  3. Who is allowed to vote in Israeli elections?
  4. How often are elections for the national government held in Israel?
  5. Who is the leader of the government in Saudi Arabia?
  6. How long does a monarch rule?
  7. What role do the people play in a government that is a monarchy like that of Saudi Arabia?
  8. What is Shariah law?
  9. What is the definition of a “theocracy”?
  10. Why is Iran sometimes called a theocratic republic?
  11. What is an Ayatollah?
  12. Who is the most powerful elected official in Iran?
  13. How does the Guardian Council affect elections?