top of page
CIVICS AND GOVERNMENT
The Basics

  • A unitary government system is one in which the central government holds nearly all of the power. In a unitary system local government such as state or county systems may have some power but they are under the control of the central government.

  • A Confederation government system is one in which the local governments hold all of the power and the central government depends on the local governments for its existence. The central government has only as much power as the local governments are willing to give.

  • A federal government system is a political system in which power is shared among different levels of government. Here power is divided into national government and state governments

  • An autocratic government is one which the ruler has absolute power to do whatever he wishes and  makes and enforces whatever laws he chooses. Individuals who live under autocratic governments do not have any rights to choose leaders or vote on which laws are made and put into practice. Monarchies, such as Saudi Arabia are know as hereditaty, meaning the same family often rules for generations. Here, laws are base one the teachings of the Quran, the religious text of Islam.

  • An oligarchy means government by the few. In this form of government a political party or other small group takes over a government and makes all of the major decisions. This sort of government can be very similar to an autocratic government. Iran could be described as an oligarchy because a small group of religious and political leaders makes many of the important decisions.

  • In a democratic government system the people play a much greater role in deciding who the rulers are and what decisions are made. Among the countries of Southwest Asia, Israel is a good example of a democracy. All citizens over the age of 18 are allowed to vote. Those organizing the new government of Iraq are hoping to establish a democratic system in the country as well. 

  • In a parliamentarian form of democratic government the people vote for those who represent the political party they feel best represents their views of how the government should operate.  The party that win the  majority of representatives in the legislator usually chooses the leader, who is often called a prime minister or premier and is recognized as the head of the government.

  • A presidential form of democratic government is also called a congregational form of government. The president or chief executive is chosen separately from the legislate. The legislator passes the laws and it is the duty of the president to see that the laws are enforced. One differencebetween a presidential and a parliamentarian system of government is that Prime Minister is a member of Parliament while a president is in a separate branch of the government.

​

  • A theocracy is 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 is interesting because even though the country does have an elected president, religious leaders also play an important role in the government. Because of this, some classify Iran as a theocratic republic. Iranian citizens over the age of 16 are eligible to vote in all elections and most citizens generally believe that religious leaders should play  role in making political decisions.

bottom of page