Geography Section 5

Introduction Of Section 5

Comparing Forms of Government

Democracies[democracies: system of government in which citizens exercise supreme power, acting either directly on their own or through elected representatives]  Monarchies [monarchies: system of government in which a single ruler exercises supreme power based on heredity or divine right]  Dictatorships [dictatorships: a system of government in which a single person or group exercises supreme power by controlling the military and police] .  Market Economy [market economy: an economic system that relies mainly on markets to determine what goods and services to produce and how to produce them] .  Traditional Economy [traditional economy: an economic system in which decisions about what to produce and how are made on the basis of customs, beliefs, and traditions] .  

Among the members of the United Nations are countries with different populations, forms of government, and economic systems. Consider, for example, two newer members: Switzerland and South Sudan.    However, other than UN membership, Switzerland and South Sudan have little in common. The people of Switzerland and South Sudan do have one thing in common. They both decided that “the people” should rule. 

Section 1 Geography Notes

The Origins and Evolution of Government

 City-States [city-state: a sovereign state consisting of a city and its surrounding territory] .  Direct Democracy [direct democracy: a democratic form of government in which citizens make public decisions directly, either in a popular assembly or through a popular vote]   Republic [republic: a nation in which supreme power rests with the citizens and is exercised by their elected representatives] .  Representative Democracy [representative democracy: a democratic form of government in which elected representatives make public decisions on behalf of the citizens]   Feudalism [feudalism: an economic and political system of the European Middle Ages in which landowners granted land to tenants in return for military assistance and other services] .  Parliaments [parliaments: a legislative assembly in which elected representatives debate and vote on proposed laws]   Despots [despots: a tyrant or ruler with absolute powers]  Constitutional Monarchy [constitutional monarchy: a system of government in which the powers of a monarch are limited by a constitution, either written or unwritten] .  Constitutional Democracy [constitutional democracy: a democratic government based on a written constitution] .  Authoritarian Regime [authoritarian regime: a system of government in which the state exercises broad control over the lives of its citizens] .   Totalitarianism [totalitarianism: an extreme form of authoritarian rule in which the state seeks to control every aspect of its citizens' lives]   Fascism [fascism: a totalitarian system in which businesses remain in private hands but under government control]   Nazism [Nazism: a form of totalitarianism and type of fascism, based in part on the myth of racial superiority; developed in Germany before World War II] 

All societies, large and small, develop some form of government. Over time, some farming villages grew into cities and city-states. Around 3000 B.C.E., the first city-states arose in Sumer, a region located in what is today southern Iraq. Governments arose to resolve issues pertaining to the fair and orderly distribution of water. They also provided protection by building walls around their cities and organizing armies to ward off invasions by nomadic tribes.  Gradually, power in many city-states became concentrated in the hands of a single ruler. The strongest of these rulers conquered neighboring city-states to create the world's first empires. Sargon, whose name is thought to mean “the true king,”  The Athenians reorganized their city-state as a direct democracy. When Pericles spoke of government being in the hands of “the whole people,” he meant in the hands of male citizens of Athens. Women, slaves, and foreign-born people living in Athens were not allowed to participate in government. For those who did qualify, however, they participated on a scale that was unique in the ancient world. Our constitution is called a democracy because power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people. When it is a question of settling private disputes, everyone is equal before the law; when it is a question of putting one person before another in positions of public responsibility, what counts is not membership of a particular class, but the actual ability which the man possesses. —Pericles, Funeral Oration, 431 B.C.E. Our constitution is called a democracy because power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people. When it is a question of settling private disputes, everyone is equal before the law; when it is a question of putting one person before another in positions of public responsibility, what counts is not membership of a particular class, but the actual ability which the man possesses. —Pericles, Funeral Oration, 431 B.C.E. Our constitution is called a democracy because power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people. When it is a question of settling private disputes, everyone is equal before the law; when it is a question of putting one person before another in positions of public responsibility, what counts is not membership of a particular class, but the actual ability which the man possesses. —Pericles, Funeral Oration, 431 B.C.E. For a time, Rome's emperors ruled an empire that included most of Europe, as well as North Africa and western Asia. In 476 C.E., In parts of Europe once ruled by mighty Rome, the empire broke into tiny districts, each ruled by a duke, lord, king, or other noble. It often made sense for weak nobles to look to a nearby, more powerful neighbor for protection. By the 700s, many lords acquired more land than they could manage. This system of exchanging the use of land for military and other services became known as feudalism. Europe's parliaments developed from meetings of vassals summoned by a lord or king. By the 1700s, several European countries had become nation-states headed by absolute monarchs. These all-powerful rulers based their legitimacy on the divine right of kings theory.  Growing dissatisfaction with this form of government triggered a series of world-altering revolutions, first in Europe and then in the American colonies. The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Bloodless Revolution, led to the creation of Europe's first constitutional monarchy. The American Revolution led to the creation of the first modern constitutional democracy. At first the French Revolution seemed likely to produce another constitutional democracy. Instead, the fighting led to chaos. In time, Napoleon Bonaparte restored order, but only by establishing an authoritarian regime. Some historians argue that Napoleon's approach to governing set the stage for the rise of totalitarianism in the 20th century.  In its place, revolutionaries established the Soviet Union as the world's first state based on communism. A form of totalitarianism known as fascism first appeared in Italy during the 1920s.  A third type of totalitarianism, Nazism took root in Germany.  

Section 2 Chapter 5 Notes

Forms of Government in Today's World

 Coup D'etat [coup d'etat: the sudden overthrow of a government by a small group of military officers or political leaders; from a French term meaning “blow to the state”] ,  Theocracy [theocracy: a government headed by religious leaders]  Single-Party State [single-party state: a nation-state in which only one political party is allowed to rule under the constitution]   Elite [elite: a small group of people within a larger group who have more power, wealth, or talent than the others]   Referendum Process [referendum process: a form of direct democracy in which citizens vote to approve or reject laws passed by a legislature]   Initiative Process [initiative process: a form of direct democracy in which citizens propose laws and submit them directly to the voters for approval] .  Parliamentary Democracy [parliamentary democracy: a political system in which voters elect lawmakers to represent them in the nation’s parliament; the elected lawmakers choose a prime minister to head the executive branch] .   Ministries [ministries: an executive branch department, often in a parliamentary system]   Vote of No Confidence [vote of no confidence: a majority vote in parliament showing disapproval of a prime minister’s performance; such a vote prompts new elections and a change of leadership]   Presidential Democracies [presidential democracies: a political system in which voters chose a president to lead the government as head of the executive branch] . 

These governments fall into three broad groups: rule by the one (monarchies and dictatorships), rule by the few (theocracies and single-party states), and rule by the many (parliamentary and presidential democracies).  For monarchal government to have survived for thousands of years, it must have enduring attractions. Traditionally, a ruling monarch has been able to make decisions and have them carried out on his or her word alone.  At the same time, monarchal government has its drawbacks. Most monarchs today face rigid legal restrictions on their power, often imposed by a constitution.  Whereas monarchs inherit their power, dictators take and hold power by force.  Dictatorships share some of the advantages of absolute monarchies. Dictatorships face serious legitimacy problems.  A theocracy is a government headed by religious leaders.  By 2018, only a small handful of theocracies existed.  In a single-party state, the constitution allows only one political party to govern. Ideally, a single-party system avoids much of the political wrangling that is common in multiparty states, making it easier to pass laws and implement government policies. This party unity comes at a cost, however. Ideally, a single-party system avoids much of the political wrangling that is common in multiparty states, making it easier to pass laws and implement government policies. This party unity comes at a cost, however. In the modern world, no country is governed as a pure direct democracy.  Limited forms of direct democracy exist in the United States. Most nations today have adopted one of two forms of representative democracy: parliamentary or presidential.  The United Kingdom, India, and Australia are examples of parliamentary democracy. In a parliamentary democracy, voters elect lawmakers to represent them in the nation's parliament. The legislative majority then selects a member of parliament to serve as the nation's prime minister, or chief executive. In a parliamentary democracy, there is no clear-cut separation between the executive and legislative branches of government. Prime ministers remain in power only so long as they have the support of parliament. The United States, Russia, and most countries in Latin America are presidential democracies. This system has some advantages over a parliamentary democracy. There are also some disadvantages.   

Section 3 Chapter 5 Geography Notes

The Distribution of Power in Governments Today

 Unitary System of Government [unitary system of government: a political system in which the constitution concentrates power in the national, or central, government]  Federal System of Government [federal system of government: a type of government in which power is shared between the national government and smaller regional governments within the nation]  Confederal System of Government [confederal system of government: a political system in which independent states form a nation but retain their power under a weak central government] .  Supranational Organizations [supranational organization: a world or regional organization that is not tied to any one country] 

In almost all nation-states, government power is exercised at a minimum of two levels: national and regional. In a unitary system of government, the constitution concentrates power in the national, or central, government. The national government may choose to create regional governments to carry out its policies. However, regional governments exercise only those powers given to them by the national government.  Most nation-states have unitary systems. In a federal system of government, the constitution divides power between the national government and the regional governments. A federal system of government is often found in large countries with diverse populations.  The first American constitution, the Articles of Confederation, created a confederal system of government. In such a system, power resides in the regions, which are independent states. The regions grant only as much power to the national government as needed to maintain security and to coordinate activities among the regions. No nation-state is organized as a confederation today. However, some supranational organizations, such as the European Union (EU), are modeled on confederal systems.