Government: What does it do? Why do we need it?

Contributed by:

Steve Tue, Feb 08, 2022 12:27 PM UTC

This booklet describes the government and its different types, roles, participation, different powers, and the purpose of the existence of government.

1. GOVERNMENT
Types of Governments
Page #: 50
Date: 11/20
EQ: What is government?
What does it do? Why do
we need it?

2. GOVERNMENT
1. What is government?
2. What does a government do?
3. Why do people need government?
4. Who has authority or power in a
government? What is power?
5. What types of government
are there?

3. GOVERNMENT
1.What is

4. GOVERNMENT
1. What is government?
• Government is an organization people
set up to protect the community and
make rules
• There is a leader or leaders in charge
• There are rules or laws to follow

5. GOVERNMENT
2. What does a
government
do?

6. GOVERNMENT
2. What does a government do?
 Protects the community
 Makes laws
 Keeps or maintains order/peace
 Collects taxes to take care of
things (roads, public buildings,
postal service, military, schools)

7. GOVERNMENT
3. Why do
people need

8. GOVERNMENT
3. Why do people need government?
 For protection of people and
property
 Making rules- to maintain order
 Enforcing laws- to ensure safety
 To have someone in charge of schools,
roads, military, etc.
 Without it= chaos, disorder, unsafe

9. GOVERNMENT
4. Who has
authority or power
in a government?
What is power?

10. GOVERNMENT
4. Who has authority or power in a
government? What is power?
The leader (king, president, emperor)
The leader’s “people” (assistants,
noblemen, aristocrats…)
The citizens (by voting)
Power is…..

11. GOVERNMENT
5. What types
of government
are there?

12. GOVERNMENT
5. What types of government
are there?
Common types are:
 Monarchy
 Tyranny/Dictatorship
 Democracy/Republic
 Theocracy

13. Monarchy
 Power is in the hands of a king, queen,
emperor or empress.
 Royal Family The ruling position can be
passed on to the ruler’s children.
 In some traditional monarchies, the monarch
has absolute power (judges, leading army,
making laws)
 But a constitutional monarchy, like the UK,
also has a democratic government that limits
the monarch's control.
 Aristocrats or noblemen (the king’s “people”)
can help make decisions if he wants them to.

14.

15.

16. Theocracy
 A form of government in which God (or the gods)
is the supreme ruler
 The leader is thought to serve through his “divine
right” and represent God on Earth
 The laws often come from the Holy Books/texts
that the religion of the culture follows
 Examples:
 The Pope in the Vatican City/Roman Catholic Church
 Saudi Arabia is an Islamic Theocracy

17. Democracy
 In a democracy, the government is elected
by the people. Everyone who is eligible to
vote has a chance to have their say over
who runs the country. It is different from
governments controlled by a particular
social class or group
 A democracy is determined either directly
or through elected representatives.

18. Direct Democracy
 People vote directly on every issue
 Only practical in a small community
 This was the type of Democracy Athens
started

19. Representative Democracy
 People are represented by elected officials
 They vote for the person they think has
similar opinions or views as themselves.
 Used in large countries (Like the USA)
 Citizens have power and choices
 VERY similar to a Republic government

20. Republic
A republic is a country with
elected representatives and an
elected head of state who is not a
The head of the country is
usually an elected president.
Citizens can vote and have
power. This is very similar to a
Representative Democracy

21. Rome’s Republic
 Roman citizens were
divided into 3 classes:
Patricians, Plebeians,
and Slaves
 The plebeians were the
lower class & the patricians were
the wealthy upper class.
The Plebeians (poor) started a war to demand their rights!
We will talk more about this when we study Rome.

22.

23. Other Governments
 There are many other types of governments that
we will not study this year. Some common ones
we will not cover are:
 Theocracy- priests rule in the name of God who
is the ultimate authority, religious law
 Anarchy- NO government, disorder, usually after
a government fails before another one begins
 Communism- the state or country owns and
operates everything on behalf of the people.
People have no control.

24. 1. NAME THAT GOVERNMENT:
The pharaoh was an absolute ruler. He commanded the
army and controlled irrigation and grain supplies. People in
this society considered the pharaoh to be a god.

25. 1. NAME THAT GOVERNMENT:
The pharaoh was an absolute ruler. He commanded the
army and controlled irrigation and grain supplies. People in
this society considered the pharaoh to be a god.
Monarchy

26. 2. NAME THAT GOVERNMENT
 In the first century AD, the Greeks recognized
three types of government: monarchy,
aristocracy, and anarchy. The Jews at the time
did not fit into any of these categories as they
believed only God and his laws were sovereign.

27. 2. NAME THAT GOVERNMENT
 In the first century AD, the Greeks recognized
three types of government: monarchy,
aristocracy, and anarchy. The Jews at the time
did not fit into any of these categories as they
believed only God and his laws were sovereign.
Theocracy

28. 3. NAME THAT GOVERNMENT:
In 450 B.C. this civilization assembled and all citizens voted
on laws. A council of 500 prepared business for the

29. 3. NAME THAT GOVERNMENT:
In 450 B.C. this civilization assembled and all citizens voted
on laws. A council of 500 prepared business for the
Direct
Democracy

30. 4. NAME THAT GOVERNMENT:
The Nazi Party took over every aspect of this country’s social,
economic & political life. Hitler quickly secured his power by
burning down a legislative building and used the incident to
obtain emergency powers, becoming an absolute ruler.

31. 4. NAME THAT GOVERNMENT:
The Nazi Party took over every aspect of this country’s social,
economic & political life. Hitler quickly secured his power by
burning down a legislative building and used the incident to
obtain emergency powers, becoming an absolute ruler.
Dictatorship

32. 5. NAME THAT GOVERNMENT:
In this country some people are elected to make laws and
some people are appointed officials.

33. 5. NAME THAT GOVERNMENT:
In this country some people are elected to make laws and
some people are appointed officials.
Representative
Democracy

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