Forms of Government
People often talk about governments but are sometimes unsure of what they do, what their purpose is, and how they are part of culture. In this lesson we will look at governments and the forms they take.
Simply put, a government is a system that sets up and enforces the laws and institutions of a culture or a society. The way in which a society is governed is often referred to as a political system. So, in fact, forms of government and political systems are the same thing. Our book gives four different political systems:
I'm not sure why the book mentions direct democracy because it doesn't exist as a form of government for any country in the world today. Any country, even the smallest, is far too complex to rely on all individuals having a voice in the their government. Even towns and communities are too complicated to have a system of direct democracy. If we eliminate direct democracy that only leaves three major types. The most common form in the West is of course representative democracy, which is usually referred to as s republic. So, direct democracy and republic are synonyms - they mean the same thing.
Use the Websites below to complete your chart and learn about the different forms of political systems.
Simply put, a government is a system that sets up and enforces the laws and institutions of a culture or a society. The way in which a society is governed is often referred to as a political system. So, in fact, forms of government and political systems are the same thing. Our book gives four different political systems:
- Monarchy
- Direct Democracy
- Representative Democracy
- Dictatorship
I'm not sure why the book mentions direct democracy because it doesn't exist as a form of government for any country in the world today. Any country, even the smallest, is far too complex to rely on all individuals having a voice in the their government. Even towns and communities are too complicated to have a system of direct democracy. If we eliminate direct democracy that only leaves three major types. The most common form in the West is of course representative democracy, which is usually referred to as s republic. So, direct democracy and republic are synonyms - they mean the same thing.
Use the Websites below to complete your chart and learn about the different forms of political systems.