Do Now

Would you like to be in charge of a government? Why or why not? What would you do with your power?

Two Important Concepts in Understanding Governments

Liberal: interested in social change and believes governments can be used to make people's lives better In the US: generally in favor of social equality (racial equality, equality for women, gay rights, etc.); in favor of worker rights (higher pay, more vacation time, job safety laws); in favor of public programs like welfare and food stamps, and want new programs like free childcare and free college education paid through higher taxes Conservative: interested in keeping society the same (or changing it to how it was in the past) and believes that governments generally restrict freedom and make people's lives harder In the US: some are in favor of social equality, many are not (believe that men should be in charge, mandatory prayer should be part of school, don't believe abortion or gay marriage should be legal, etc.); in favor of business rights (lower taxes for businesses, fewer safety regulations, less vacation time for works); usually want to make it harder to get public benefits like welfare or food stamps, not in favor of creating new social programs

Term Definition

Constitution a legal document that describes the structure and powers of a government

Kingdom an area ruled by a particular king or queen

Subject a person who lives in a particular kingdom; similar to the word citizen

Decree a law created single-handedly by a king or queen

Heir a person who inherits (receives) something when someone dies

Vocabulary

What is a monarchy?

• A monarchy is a type of government ruled by one person, based on their birth. • There are many different terms for that one person depending on place and time

period, but the most common words in English are king and queen. Other common terms are emperor, empress, sultan (in Turkey), and czar (in Russia).

• The important thing to remember about a monarchy is that there are rules about who becomes the next king or queen, although those rules may vary from kingdom to kingdom. Usually, the heir to the throne is the oldest son or daughter of the previous king or queen. If the oldest son or daughter has already died, then it would pass to the second oldest son or daughter, and so on. If a king or queen dies without a living son or daughter, it will usually pass on to a younger brother or sister, niece or nephew, etc.

• The underlying fact is that power stays within a certain family, based on how closely related you are.

Monarchies Past & Present

• Monarchies were a very common form of government in the past, particularly in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

• In the past, kings and queens made many of the most important political and economic decisions in history.

• Monarchies were the dominant form of government until the late 1700's, when they began to be replaced by democracies.

• Today, 43 countries across the world technically have a king or queen - 22% of the world's total.

• In reality, though, most kings and queens today have very little power. For example, Elizabeth II is technically the queen of 16 of those 43 countries (including the UK, Canada, Jamaica, etc.), but she has almost no political power in any of those places.

• There are only 8 countries in the world today (4% of the total number) whose kings still hold a lot of personal political power.

Country Population Country Population

1. Saudi Arabia 30.8 million 5. Bahrain 1.4 million

2. United Arab Emirates 6.0 million 6. Swaziland 1.1 million

3. Oman 4.5 million 7. Brunei 400,000

4. Qatar 2.4 million 8. Vatican City 1,000

Absolute Monarchy

• There are two basic forms of monarchies: absolute and constitutional. • An absolute monarchy is the classic form we think of from history. The king or

queen was personally responsible for making the laws of a kingdom, and could choose to change them whenever they wanted, for whatever reason.

• They were the most important, respected individual in their kingdom, and had the power to spare anyone's life or put anyone to death that they wanted.

• These governments are called absolute monarchies because the king or queen's power was absolute (totally in control).

Benefits

• power to make big decisions very quickly (no need to wait for votes or debates)

• power usually changes hands less often, meaning more stability for the country

Costs

• law & justice can be unfair since the king can make and break

the rules • subjects have no ability to change their leadership or make

their own decisions

Absolute Monarchy

King Mswati II of Swaziland

Since 1986

King Salman of Saudi Arabia

Since 2015

Constitutional Monarchy

• In constitutional monarchies, the power of a king/queen is somehow limited.

This is done by the people of the country writing a constitution - a document agreed to by everyone, outlining the structure and powers of a government.

• Constitutional monarchies in different countries limit the power of their kings/queens to varying degrees. Some constitutions still allow the monarch to have a lot of power, others leave them very little. One of the most famous examples of a constitutional monarchy is England.

• England became the first constitutional monarchy in the world in the year 1215. The wealthy noblemen were frustrated with how the king was abusing his power, so they wrote a constitution called the Magna Carta, threatening to revolt and kill him unless he agreed to it.

• The Magna Carta said that the monarch was no longer allowed to decide every punishment for a crime. Instead, a jury of 12 people would decide if the person was guilty or innocent and pick a sentence.

• Over the centuries, the people of England limited the power of their monarchs more and more. By the 1700's, the people had more power over England's government than the king.

yellow = monarch with no real power orange = monarch still has real power

England today

• Although England still has a monarch today (Queen Elizabeth II), she has almost no power. Instead, the country is run as a parliamentary democracy, with an elected prime minister who is actually in charge (like a president).

• Today, the Queen is really just a rich, famous person who people respect. Her and her family travel around the country and do a lot of charity work.

Constitutional Monarchy

Benefits • gives the people some power over how the country is run • still has some of the benefits of an absolute monarchy, like

power not changing hands often (more stability) Costs • people have no say in who their leader is

Exit Ticket

1. Which of the following best summarizes the difference between liberals and conservatives? a. liberals think governments make life better and want society to stay the same; conservatives think governments make life harder and are interested in social change b. liberals think governments make life harder and want society to stay the same; conservatives think governments make life better and are interested in social change c. liberals think governments make life harder and are interested in social change; conservatives think governments make life better and want society to stay the same d. liberals think governments make life better and are interested in social change; conservatives think governments make life harder and want society to stay the same

2. For a monarchy, which is the best definition of the word "subject"? a. one of the main concerns of a constitution b. a person who is in charge of a kingdom, like a king c. a person who lives in a particular kingdom, like a citizen d. a policy that a king/queen is most interested in 3. How many countries in the world are run as absolute monarchies today? a. less than 10 b. between 10 and 20 c. around 50 d. more than 100

4. All of the following are benefits of monarchies EXCEPT: a. big decisions can be made quickly b. power changes hands less often c. people have no say in who their leader is d. people can guarantee some rights through a constitution 5. Which country was the world's first constitutional monarchy? a. Saudi Arabia b. Canada c. England d. France