Government Vocabulary

  1. Unitary: Category of Government where power is held by one ruling body. No divisions of power.
  1. Confederation: Category of government where many individual countries that come together to make laws for a common purpose. EX: EU, NATO, OPEC
  1. Federal: Category of Government where power is divided between one large ruling body and several ruling bodies, such as states or providences.
  1. Autocracy: Category of Government that sorts by citizen’s role in government. Since there is one ruling body, the people have no say. The one ruler makes all the decisions.
  1. Oligarchy: Category of Government that sorts by citizen’s role in government. Since a small body (committee or party) makes all the rules, only the people in that party get to vote for the laws. If you’re not part of the party, you don’t get to vote.
  1. Democracy: Category of Government that sorts by citizen’s role in government. All citizens vote for representatives and the representatives make all of the decisions.
  1. Parliament: Type of Government. One governing body that makes and enforces the laws. The people elect representatives to Parliament, but the members of parliament elect among themselves a leader. Unitary because parliament is one governing body, democracy because citizens vote for representatives.
  1. Dictator: Type of GovernmentOne military ruler that has total control. Unitary because one ruler has power, autocracy because people do not get to participate in government
  1. Monarchy: Type of Government Leader (King, Queen, Shah, Sultan,) that has sole power, but it’s inherited. Unitary because one ruler has power, autocracy because people do not get to participate in government
  1. Theocracy: Type of Government 1 religious ruler that rules. Unitary because one ruler has power, autocracy because people do not get to participate in government.
  1. Communism: Type of Government1 ruling group where power of the country is only in government. Gov’t has complete control of the government and economy (all areas of life). The ruling group is made up of several ruling people (“party of five”). Unitary because one ruler has power, Oligarchy because only the people in the communist party have a vote or say.
  1. Military Junta: Type of Government1 military ruling group where the gov’t has complete control. Military leader is the leader of that group. Unitary because one ruler has power, Oligarchy because only the people on the Junta (committee) have a vote or say.
  1. Parliamentary democracy: Type of Government 1 body that rules. People vote for members of Parliament. Unitary because parliament is one governing body, democracy because citizens vote for representatives.
  1. Presidential democracy: Type of Governmenttwo ruling bodies and people vote for representatives of both. Federal because power is divided between a national government and the states/providences, democracy because people vote for representatives.
  1. Constitutional Monarchy: Type of Government Have a king or queen, etc. as a figurehead, but they have no power. The legislature, usually called Parliament, rules and the king has to follow the laws of the legislature. People elect representatives to parliament. Could be either Unitary or Federal. Unitary if they have a parliament (1 ruling body), federal if the government is divided, usually with a president in charge. Democracy because people elect the representatives.
  1. Republic: Type of Government Citizens elect representatives to rule for them. Federal democracy. Federal because power is divided between a national government and the states/providences, democracy because people vote for representatives.