Power and Politics. Fill in the spaces with details to help you understand the different forms of government. How is power obtained?

Transcription

1 Power and Politics Fill in the spaces with details to help you understand the different forms of government. Type of Government Democracy Dictatorship Monarchy Who has the power? How is power obtained? Terms to help you understand Republic - the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who are entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them Oligarchy-type of government that is run by a small circle of elite individuals, typically the wealthy Junta- military government Divine Rightright to rule had been given by God Theocracy Sacred-refers to things relating to religion, or to the services of religion Secular-is the term used to describe all of the things in life that are not religious

2 DEMOCRACY If you have ever worked in a small group, you probably experienced democracy in action at the most basic level. As a member of a group, you are responsible for helping to decide what needs to be done and how to do it. You help make a decision and then help carry out that decision. You do not give your power away and no one takes it from you. Your participation in the decision-making process is equal to all other members of the group. In a democracy, the power comes from the people being governed. A country that has this type of government is often called a republic. A republic is a country that has a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who are entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them. Through open and free elections, the people elect representatives they feel will use their power most wisely. A democratic form of government requires the most effort from its citizens. However, government needs power to get things done. Taxes must be raised, laws passed, and the people protected. How is a government going to do that without power? This is quite a contradiction. Government power is dangerous and government power is necessary! In order to keep a democracy, it is necessary to maintain a balance between too much and too little. Too little government power and nothing gets done. Too much government power and people lose their freedom. Successful democracies are complicated systems of government that spread the responsibilities for different jobs among different branches of government. That way, no one part of the government can get too powerful and throw the whole system off balance. The people who live in a democracy must also realize that they have an important part to play. When people vote, they are telling their government what to do. In this way, they are helping to protect their rights and freedom. If the people do not use their power to vote, they run the risk of losing control over their future by encouraging the government to start making decisions on its own. Is it worth all the effort to maintain a democracy? For people who live in a democracy, the answer is a resounding "Yes!" Democracies give people the freedom to be themselves--to live where they want, do their own thing--while encouraging acceptance and tolerance of diversity. A wide variety of people and ideas can be found in a democracy. This stimulates a country's economy because it must serve such a diversity of tastes and desires. Because democracy is good for business, people who live in democracies enjoy the world's highest standards of living. It is also why people do not want to give up democracy once they have achieved it, and why those who do not have it are willing to die to get it.

3 Sometimes a country may appear to have a democratic government, but if you look more closely, you may see that it is not truly a democracy. For example, there may be free and open elections but there is only one candidate or issue on which people can vote. The power is not truly in the hands of the people, but it is held onto by a dictator or oligarchy unwilling to allow the people to express their desires. Elections are held to make a show of giving people the power to govern themselves. DICTATORSHIP A dictatorship is a form of government that is usually not elected into power by the people. A dictatorship is governed by an individual or small group of people who have the power because they took the power, usually by force. The people rarely are able to get a dictatorship out of power once it is in place. Dictatorships often come into power when a country is going through a crisis. During times of war, revolution, or economic depression, some systems of government can break down. This leaves an opening for a dominant force to take control, such as the military. Because the military is generally well organized and already has a "chain of command" in place to make decisions and carry out orders, it can easily step in and take control. Military governments, or a junta, are the most common form of dictatorship. For the sake of "saving" the country, military governments will use violence against their own people to enforce their policies. Citizens' rights are abused or even taken away so that the military leader can have the power to accomplish what he thinks the country needs. With the military in control, it takes a very violent revolution to overthrow it. In the end, the generals are usually replaced by other generals who continue the system of control and domination. A more mature form of dictatorship is called an oligarchy. This type of government is run by a small circle of elite individuals, typically the wealthy. Often times an oligarchy replaces a dictatorship because the energy used to dominate the people through violence is redirected to getting the nation's work done. While more stability may be brought to a country, the people still have few choices and must deal with endless policies and procedures set up by the oligarchy's ruling circle. MONARCHY A monarchy is a type of government in which kings and queens have the power to rule because they inherit it. A monarch is a ruling king, queen, prince, or princess. Power is passed down through the generations of a royal family, and as long as there are royal children to inherit the power, the process can go smoothly. However, many wars have been fought over whose turn was next. As a form of government, monarchies are very simple. The monarch has all the power. The people ruled by the monarch are expected to adore and obey their monarch. This is an easy system to understand and can work well when a monarch does a good job and makes wise

4 decisions. Difficulties arise when the monarch puts his needs and desires above those of the people. What is good for the royal family is not always good for the country. At one time, most of the world was ruled by kings and queens. No one really challenged their authority because they claimed that their right to rule had been given to them by God. This was called "Divine Right." Disagreeing with a decision made by a monarch was like challenging God's authority. However, people did begin to question the right of monarchs to rule over ordinary citizens. People began to demand to be given a voice in their own government and more control over their own lives. Few monarchies remain in the world today. Most of them are in Europe and the Middle East. Absolute rule by a monarch is very rare. Most modern monarchies use democratic ideals in running their governments. Actual decisions are made by parliaments representing the people. The royal family has no political power. Instead, they perform ceremonial functions and may occasionally offer useful advice regarding the welfare of their country. THEOCRACY A theocracy is a type of government in which religious leaders rule. People in a theocracy believe their government officials receive divine guidance and rule according to God's will. To understand a theocracy, it is important to know the difference between sacred and secular. Sacred refers to things relating to religion, or to the services of religion. Anything of religious value is considered sacred. On the other hand, secular is the term used to describe all of the things in life that are not religious. A mosque is sacred whereas a movie theater is secular. For many people in the world, religion is only one part of their lives. Other activities such as family, work, or school make up the other parts. To them, life is both sacred and secular. However, in some countries religion is taken much more seriously. Everything is sacred to these people because they believe God made the earth and provided strict rules for how life should be lived. They believe priests are the only people needed to run a country. Rules and laws that govern a theocracy are based on sacred teachings and interpreted by religious leaders. This can be very comforting because everyone is held to the same standards. There is no confusion over the way things should be. Laws are clear and usually strictly enforced. However, they can often be so strict and unbending that there is no room for change. There may even be resistance to change because the religious leaders say the rules were made by God and should not change for any reason. Religious leaders in a theocracy often claim their God has given them a secret message. Such a message is called a revelation. Because of the intensely personal manner of these messages, there is no scientific way to prove if these messages are true or not. It comes down to a matter of faith and what people want to believe is best for them. What is best for one group of people is not always best for another group. This is why political understanding is so difficult to achieve.

5 ies_v8_gs/module05/05_01c.htm (game under VTVLC Lesson 5.01)