Government Vocabulary

Use the descriptions of the vocabulary terms to place them on your spectrum

of government descriptions.

Constitutional Government

• A constitutional government is any government whose authority and construction are defined by a constitution.

Totalitarian Government

• Totalitarian Government is where the government recognizes no limits to its authority and tries to regulate every aspect of the public and private life of its citizens.

Absolute MonarchyGovernment by a king, a queen, a prince, an

emir or other member of royalty.This ruler has absolute power. His or her word

is law.

A Current Absolute Monarchy

Current Ruler of Saudi Arabia: Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud

Dictatorship

A single person rules with unlimited power.

Example of a DictatorMuammar Gaddafi

الق�ذ�اف�ي م ع�م�ر

Took control of Libya in 1969

Tyrant

A leader who misuses his power and takes advantage of his

citizens

Example of a Tyrant

• Adolf Hitler was a tyrant who abused the citizens of his nation and many others in World War II. He had millions killed in the Nazi concentration camps during World War II.

CommunismA system of government in which a single party

controls the government and the economyOR

theories developed by Karl Marx about the ideal society where everything is shared equally.

Example of Communism: China

OligarchyGovernment ruled by a small, elite group

Recent Example of Oligarchy

• South Africa from 1948 to 1994 (during apartheid) was ruled by the 25% white population who hold all the power and wealth in the nation at that time.

Direct DemocracyCitizens vote to decide every issue. No one

represents them, they decide themselves.

Example of a Direct Democracy

Representative DemocracyRule by people you elect to make decisions for

you

Example of a Representative Democracy

Theocracy

Religious leaders control the government. They rely on the laws of their religion to run their nation and they often seek the advice and

approval of religious scholars

Example of a Theocracy: Islamic Republic of Iran

Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of Iran