Who Rules?

Name: Hugo Lopez Perez

Someones Got to Be In Charge

If you compared all the governments in the world, you would find one
thing in common: Someone is in charge. The question is, who? There
are many different forms of government. Some have one leader who
has all the control. Others give power to the people. Here are some
forms of government that exist (or have existed) in the world:

Me, Myself, and I

King Harald V of Norway with his wife,
Queen Sonja. Norway is a constitutional
monarchy. The king is the head of state
and has a mainly ceremonial role. The
actual government is a democracy.
An autocracy is a government in which one person has all the
power. There are two main types of autocracy: a monarchy and a
dictatorship.
In a monarchy, a king or queen rules the country. The king or
queen is known as a monarch. Monarchs usually come to power
through their family line: The current king or queens oldest child
becomes the next king or queen. In some monarchies, especially
those in historical times, the monarch held all the power and had
the final say over the government. In modern times, monarchs
usually share power with other parts of government. Often they are
also subject to the countrys constitution.
A dictatorship is a form of government where one leader has
absolute control over citizens lives. If there is a constitution, the
dictator has control over that, tooso it doesnt mean much.
Although other parts of the government may exist, such as courts or
a lawmaking body, these branches always do what the dictator
wants them to do. They do not represent citizens.

Power to the People!

In a democracy, citizens hold the political power. There are two
fundamental types of democracies:
In a representative democracy, citizens elect leaders to
represent their rights and interests in government. The elected
leaders, or representatives, do the day-to-day work of governing
the country: They consider the issues, work to find solutions, pass A man votes in Peru.
laws, and do all of the other things necessary to keep a country
going. Citizens hold the ultimate power, though, because if they
dont like what their representatives are doing, they can vote in new
ones!
In a direct democracy, there are no representatives. Citizens are
directly involved in the day-to-day work of governing the country.
Citizens might be required to participate in lawmaking or act as
judges, for example. The best example of this was in the ancient
Greek city-state called Athens. Most modern countries are too large
for a direct democracy to work.
The Peruvian legislature

Reading p.1
Who Rules? Name: Hugo Lopez Perez

We, Ourselves, and um Us

In an oligarchy (OH-lih-gar-kee), a small group of people has all
the power. Oligarchy is a Greek word that means rule by a few.
Sometimes this means that only a certain group has political
rights, such as members of one political party, one social class, or
one race. For example, in some societies, only noble families who
owned land could participate in politics. An oligarchy can also
mean that a few people control the country. For example, a
junta is a small group of peopleusually military officerswho
From 1962 to 2011, Myanmar (also known
rule a country after taking it over by force. A junta often operates as Burma) was ruled by a military junta
much like a dictatorship, except that several people share power. that was condemned by the world for its
human rights violations.

Crown of the Holy Roman Empire,
which was tied to the Catholic church
Religious Rule
A theocracy is a government that recognizes God or a divine being
as the ultimate authority. (Theo is a Greek word that means god.)
In a theocracy, religious law is used to settle disputes and rule the
people. A theocracy can also be a democracy, dictatorship, monarchy,
or just about any other kind of government. For example, the
Republic of Iran recognizes Islamic law, but Irans citizens vote to
elect their leaders. Modern theocracies are usually found in countries

A
and lasted from the 10th19th century.
where the population is strongly religious.

Rule by None
In an anarchy, nobody is in controlor everyone is, depending on how
you look at it. Sometimes the word anarchy is used to refer to an out-of-
control mob. When it comes to government, anarchy would be one way
to describe the human state of existence before any governments
developed. It would be similar to the way animals live in the wild, with
everyone looking out for themselves. Today, people who call themselves
anarchists usually believe that people should be allowed to freely
associate together without being subject to any nation or government. An A inside a circle is the traditional
symbol for anarchy.
There are no countries that have anarchy as their form of government.

Where would you put theocracy on this chart?

Reading p.2
Who Rules? Name:

A. Identify That Government! Identify the form(s) of government that each country has or had.

Forms of government: Forms of government:

______________________
Citizens elect represent to sit in two ______________________
and and
______________________
can vote ______________________

Forms of government:
Form of government: ______________________
______________________ and
______________________

Forms of government: Form of government:

______________________ ______________________
and
______________________

Worksheet p.1
Who Rules? Name:

B. True or False? Use what you learned in the reading and in Exercise A to fill in the chart below.

C. Vocabulary. Solve the crossword puzzle using vocabulary from the reading.

Across
1
3. Type of democracy where citizens elect
2
leaders to represent them in government
3 7. A small group that rules a country after
taking it over by force
4 5 6 9. One person has all the power
7 10. Type of democracy where citizens are
involved in day-to-day government
8
Down
1. Recognizes God as the ultimate authority
in government and law
2. One leader has absolute control over
9 citizens lives
10 4. Citizens hold the political power
5. A small group of people has all the power
6. People are not subject to any nation or
government
8. A king or queen rules the country
Worksheet p.2
Who Rules?
A or B Active Participation Activity. Read each statement aloud, or project and uncover each
statement individually. Have the class answer A or B as a chorus. Listen for a mix of answers,
indicating confusion. Use each question as a chance to quickly review concepts before moving on.

A B

1. One person is in charge. Autocracy Democracy

2. Citizens often have no rights. Democracy Dictatorship

3. Can exist with other forms of

Dictatorship Theocracy
government

4. Led by a king or queen Monarchy Oligarchy

5. Nobody is in charge Monarchy Anarchy

6. Those in charge are military members

Junta Democracy
who took over by force

7. Leader often shares power with other

Monarchy Dictatorship
parts of government

8. Democracy where citizens elect others

Direct Representative
to serve in government

9. Citizens vote to elect their leaders. Democracy Autocracy

10. A small group rules the country Oligarchy Democracy

11. People do not answer to any leader

Oligarchy Anarchy
or government

12. God and religious law are the

Theocracy Anarchy
governments authority

13. The group with power can be based

Monarchy Oligarchy
on race or social class

14. Democracy where citizens participate

Direct Representative
in lawmaking themselves

Active Participation Master

Limiting Government Name:

Limiting Government? Whats the Big Deal?

Sometimes you might hear people talking as if government is an evil
monster. Are they overreacting? Are there reasons to fear
government? Whose side is government on, anyway? Throughout
history, there have been governments that had too much power and
ended up abusing that power. They limited peoples freedom,
mistreated people, and even committed mass murders. In some
places, that still happens today. Government isnt evilbut the people
who run governments do need to be kept in check so they cant abuse
their power. There are several ways to limit government power. From 1926-1943, Benito Mussolini
ruled Italy as a dictator with total
control of the government.
A Constitution
A constitution is the rulebook for a countrys government. A constitution
usually explains what kind of government a country has and how that
government functions. It also tells how a countrys laws are made, and it
explains the rights and responsibilities of citizens. Most modern countries
have written constitutions.
The Rule of Law
The rule of law means laws are fair, theyre enforced, and nobody is
above the law. When a country has the rule of law, everyone must follow
the lawthe government, government leaders, and even the president!
Citizens feel secure that the government cant just do what it wants, and
there are procedures in place to make sure the law is enforced.

Separation of Power
Separation of power is dividing power among several branches of
government. By dividing up the power, a country can make sure that no
one person or part of government gets too much control. Separation of
power works because each branch of government is able to check, or
limit, what the other branches can do. Each branch is responsible for a
different government function.

Consent of the Governed

When you give your consent, you are giving permission. The consent of
the governed means that the citizens of a country give their permission
to be governed by the countrys government, and they do this by voting.
Citizens have the right to vote, and they can use their vote to change the
government. By voting, citizens can even change the constitution!

Rights of the Minority

In a system where the citizens are the government because leaders are
elected by voting, limiting government also means limiting the power of
the majority. In voting, the majority rules. It would be possible for the
majority to treat a minority group unfairly. Protecting the rights of the
minority means protecting the rights of small or unpopular groups
regardless of what the majority believes. Everyone must be treated fairly.
Reading p.1
Limiting Government Name:

Alberto Fujimori: Power in Peru

New President, Big Ideas
In 1990, a man came to power in Peru who would do things that would
shock the world. Peru is a large country in South America. Like the United
States, Peru has a constitution that creates a government with a
president, a congress, and a judicial system. But in the 1990s, something
happened in Peru that has never happened in America.
Alberto Fujimori was born in Peru after his parents emigrated from Japan.
When Peruvians elected him to be their president in 1990, he was very
popular. Peru had huge financial problems, and Fujimori had ideas for
making Peru more prosperous. He also had ideas for dealing with a group
of terrorists that had been causing problems in the country. But Perus
Congress was filled with lawmakers who opposed Fujimori, and they
refused to pass any of his ideas into law.
Fujimori after his election in 1990
Fujimori Takes Control
On the night of April 5, 1992, Fujimori took matters into his own hands.
He went on television and told Peruvians he was temporarily dissolving
Congress and that he would reorganize the judicial branch. There was
only one problem: Perus constitution did not give Fujimori the power, as
president, to do these things. But Fujimori had a solution for that. He
used military tanks and tear gas to keep Congress from meeting. He
arrested people who disagreed with him, and he also arrested popular
journalists and businessmen. Just to be safe, he even arrested the man
who had been president before him.
And then Fujimori set his sights on Perus constitution. He issued a
decree, or presidential order, saying the constitution could be ignored. His
decree also got rid of Congress and gave the president the power to make
all the laws. Fujimori then fired almost half of Perus 23 Supreme Court
Fujimori with some of his military justices, as well as many other judges around Peru who believed his
and government leaders
actions were unconstitutional.
The Autocrat Falls
Having secured control of Perus government, Fujimori now had no
trouble carrying out his ideas. He solved Perus financial crisis, and he
successfully dealt with the terrorists that had taken control of several
parts of the country. These and other actions made him popular.
But that wasnt all Fujimori did. With no independent judicial system,
thousands of suspected terrorists were killed without ever having a trial.
On top of this, scandal broke when one of Fujimoris government officials
was caught smuggling drugs, stealing government money, interfering
with elections, and selling weapons to terrorists in other countries.
Fujimori went to Japan to hide from the scandal. The scandal allowed Peruvian newspapers announce
Fujimoris opposition to gain control, and government in Peru was Fujimoris 25-year prison sentence
restored. Later, Fujimori was sentenced to six years in prison for abusing for human rights abuses
his power and 25 years for human rights abuses in Peru.

Reading p.2
Limiting Government Name:

A constitution is _________________
__________________________________________________
Limits government like this:

Tells how a countrys __________ are made

Rights of the
Minority protects the
rights of ________________
_________________________
Limits government like this:
Tells how government ___________
Lists the __________ and
_____________________
of citizens.
Rule of law
means laws are
_______, ____________
and nobody is _______ the law
Limits government like this:

Limits the power of the The law applies to ____________

________________________ Even the ________________

Makes sure everyone is treated must follow the law

__________________ There are procedures to make

Protects even _____________ or sure the law is ________________

_______________ groups

Consent of the governed means
citizens give their _____________ to be governed
Limits government like this:
Citizens have the right to ___________
Citizens can use their vote to
___________the government
Citizens can even change the
_____________________
by voting!
Separation of power
divides ________________________________
_______________________________________
Limits government like this:
No branch gets too much _____________
Each branch can ________________
what the other branches can do
Each branch is responsible
for a different
_____________

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