LATIN AMERICA: GOVERNMENT

DISTRIBUTION OF POWER

TO STUDY GOVERNMENTS, GEOGRAPHERS LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING:

Types – Who rules and who participates.

Systems – How the power is distributed.

SYSTEMS OF GOVERNMENT ARE BASED ON ONE QUESTION: HOW IS THE POWER DISTRIBUTED?

There are three ways governments distribute power: Unitary Confederation Federal

UNITARY

Power is held by a single, central authority – a centralized government

Power may be distributed to local governments by the central government, but this power can also be altered or taken away completely

The central government has supreme power and controls everything.

Power is not shared between states, counties, or provinces.

United Kingdom, France, Portugal, Chile, Cuba, and Spain are examples of a unitary form of government.

UNITARY DIAGRAM:

Central Authori

ty

Unitary

Regional Authority

Regional Authority

Regional Authority

Regional Authority

CONFEDERATION

A voluntary organization or association of independent states

A confederation forms to secure some common purpose, such as economic development or security

A confederate government possesses little authority to act on its own

The central government has limited power and can only handle matters that the members have assigned (delegated) it

Examples of Confederations are: United States of America under the

Articles of Confederation (1781–1788) Confederation of the Equator (1824, located in Northeast

Brazil) Peru-Bolivian Confederation (1836–1839) Confederation of Central America (1842–1844, El

Salvador+Guatemala+Honduras+Nicaragua) Argentine Confederation (1832–1860) (Even though the

Argentine Republic can also be called Argentine Confederation nowadays)

Confederate States of America (1861–1865)

CONFEDERATION DIAGRAM:

Central Authori

ty

Confederation

Regional Authority

Regional Authority

Regional Authority

Regional Authority

FEDERAL

Power is divided between one central authority and several regional authorities

Both act on their own set of laws

United States of America, Mexico, Brazil, and Venezuela are examples of federal governments

FEDERAL SYSTEM DIAGRAM:

Federation / Federal

Regional Authority

Central Authorit

y

Regional Authority

Regional Authority

Regional Authority

WHO HAS THE POWER?

Homework: Create a Who has

the power poem? First choose a

government. Next, write down

three clues about your government

Then, write the sentence “Who has the power?”

Finally, answer the question.

Example: Voluntary

organization Members have a

common purpose Central government

has little authority Who has the power? Confederation