U . S . M a r i n e C o r p s . J R O T CCategory 2 – CitizenshipSkill 3 – National Defense

Political Systems of Government

PURPOSE It is important not to confuse political systems of government with economic systems of government. Economic systems of government focus on the approach that a nation takes toward the production, development, and management of the material wealth of a country. Political forms of government represent a philosophy of how a country should be ruled. Who is responsible for making and implementing the laws? How are government officials including the heads of state selected? How much input do the people have in the decision making process? As you read about other forms of government, be sure to consider how they differ from our own.

IntroductionIn recent years, the political

reconstruction of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics has meant the emergence of new nations that call themselves democracies. However, what really is meant by the term democracy? Are both the United States and Russia democracies? Is Great Britain, who has a queen and a parliament, a democracy? Or is Great Britain a monarchy? What other forms of government are there? In times of political change, it is helpful to understand the variety of the

competing political philosophies of government.

Democratic Forms of Government

The term democracy goes back to ancient Greece where it originated. Literally, democracy means “of the people” and refers to a method of governing that allows the people to make the decisions. If each member of a team is able to participate in the decision making process, that team is practicing a form of direct democracy where everyone has a say. In Athens, the Greek form of democracy limited the participation in lawmaking to “citizens” of the city-state, excluding other inhabitants and slaves. Women also could not participate. The

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majority of people in that democracy did not have a say in the way government was run. The United States does not have a direct democracy. Imagine how difficult it would be to have every citizen participate in decisions on proposed legislation, even in the technological era. Instead, we elect Congressional representatives to make those decisions for us. This type of democracy is called a republic.

The American form of democracy evolved from the political thinking of philosophers such as John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau. Locke developed a doctrine of natural rights, i.e., that all people have certain rights, such as life and liberty. We have these rights because we are people, and not because a government gives them to us. Later the idea of a social contract followed. The decision makers and the people have an agreement about their mutual responsibilities. If the ruler failed to meet responsibilities or tried to take away natural rights, the people could take back their allegiance to the ruler. This point, which was further developed by Jean Jacques Rousseau, was an important factor in the American and French revolutions.

As the years have passed, the United States has given opportunity to participate in our representative form of democracy to more and more people. The 15th Amendment (1870) gave voting rights to former slaves. The 19th Amendment (1920) gave

women the right to participate in the election process. The 24th Amendment (1964) removed the restriction on voting that required payment of a poll tax ensuring that poor people would have the opportunity to vote. The 26th

Amendment (1971) lowered the voting age to 18. These amendments meant that more and more Americans could participate in the voting process making our nation more and more democratic. Unfortunately, statistics show that fewer and fewer persons seem to be participating in the voting process even though more and more persons are being provided with the opportunity.

Another aspect of our democracy that distinguishes it from other forms of government is the two political party system. In 1787, the disagreement between the federalists who supported the ratification of the Constitution with a strong central government against the anti-federalists who opposed them, we have virtually always had a two-party system in the U.S. Other parties come and go, but since the early nineteenth century, every U.S. President has either been a Republican or a Democrat. Because these two parties have such large memberships and because they are so well funded, it is difficult for a third party to establish itself as anything more than a spoiler that attempts to focus on one or more issues. Part of the reason our two-party system is so successful is that the election results in one person being selected per district.

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Another type of representative system is that of proportional representation where the seats in the assembly are distributed among the parties based on the proportion of the vote that each party receives. This system guarantees that minority votes will be taken into account, which tends to result in a greater number of political parties.

The advantage of representative democracy over direct democracy is that it is much easier to make decisions with smaller groups. One obvious negative is that you only have limited opportunities to vote the individual out of office if you disagree with that decision-making. One way for citizens in a representative democracy to have an impact is through the referendum process. A referendum allows people to vote directly on a legislative or policy issue. In this way, the will of the people is clear on the subject. One example of this type of legislation is millage votes. In many communities, education is in part funded by direct taxes on property called millages. People are able to determine whether the cost of a property tax increase should be used to help fund schools in their school district.

Parliamentary Types of Government

While many countries call themselves democratic republics, not all of them are like the United States. Great Britain, for example, has a parliamentary form of government.

The British form of government has two legislative houses, only one of which (the House of Commons) is elected by the people. The other house is appointed, usually for life, and is called the House of Lords because it consists of nobles. The House of Commons is the more powerful of the two houses. When an election is held, the party that has the majority is able to form the government headed by the party leader who is called the prime minister. Members of the government are also members of Parliament. The members of the government are like the cabinet of the President of the United States. While either of the houses of Parliament can initiate legislation, only the House of Commons can pass bills that relate to tax and finance. The House of Lords, once very powerful advisers to the monarchy, now serve in more of an advisery capacity.

Another feature of the British form of government is the existence of a monarch. By the year 2002, Queen Elizabeth II served as the head of the state for nearly 50 years. Her power is limited, but she consults regularly with the prime minister and other government officials. She signs all legislation before it becomes law, but her approval is usually just a formality. Her authority is generally limited to representing the country at various functions, hosting other heads of state, appearing at public functions, and serving on the boards of charitable organizations. While she

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is not powerful, she is highly respected by the people and is a symbol of the United Kingdom. Other monarchs are more powerful.

MonarchiesA monarchy is a form of rule in

which there is a single head of state, a monarch, with the title of King (or Queen). The monarch holds his or her office for life. The title of monarch normally passes on to members of a specific royal family. Historically, the monarch serves by divine right, which means he or she answers only to God. When a monarch rules with full or nearly full executive, legislative, and judicial powers practically unlimited by a constitution, the system is often referred to as an absolute monarchy. Saudi Arabia is run by a traditional monarchy where power lies in the hands of the al-Saud family who have a hereditary claim to the throne. King Fahd bin Abdel-Aziz al-Saud has ruled since 1982. The king appoints and leads the Council of Ministers. The Council of Ministers serve as the instrument of royal authority in executive matters. The king also is assisted by an advisery council, nominated or approved by him.

Today, in many of the countries that have monarchs, the power of the monarch is limited. Elected officials who are guided by a constitution generally run these countries. This type of system is referred to as constitutional monarchy.

Theocracy – Rule by Religion

A theocracy is a form of government in which the clergy possesses all legitimate political authority and in which religious law is more important than civil law and enforced by state agencies. Iran is an example of a theocratic form of government.

When the leader of the country, the Shah, was overthrown in 1979, Iran came under the influence of the religious leader, the Ayatollah Khomeini. Today, Iran is a theocratic Islamic republic governed under the constitution of 1979, which established Islamic principles of government. While the country has an elected president, who serves as the head of government, he is under the influence of the Islamic religious advisery board. There is also a chief of state who is appointed for life by the Islamic religious advisery board and is the leader of the Islamic Revolution.

Totalitarianism – Absolute Power

Totalitarianism is a form of government dominated by a single, like-minded governing body that controls all organized political, economic, social, and cultural activities in a country. This type of government represses all forms of disagreement and opposition. It employs censorship of the mass

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media. It centralizes state planning and administration of the economy. It uses massive propaganda to gather popular support from the people. Totalitarian states differ from traditional dictatorships by the "total" scope of human behavior that the authorities seek to control.

An example of a country with a totalitarian form of government is Cuba. Since the Cuban revolution in 1959, power has been consolidated into the hands of one man, Fidel Castro, and his followers. Castro is both the chief of state and the head of government. His brother is the vice-president. The Legislative Branch is called the National Assembly. When National Assembly elections are held, the special candidacy commission appointed by Castro approves candidates. The National Assembly appoints the Judicial Branch. There is only one political party headed by Castro. One group controls the government, the economy, and the media.

ConclusionThe Union of Soviet Socialist

Republics (USSR) called itself a republic. It had a constitution that provided for the just and equitable treatment of its people. China calls itself the People’s Republic of China. Yet, there was only one political party allowed to participate in the government in the USSR, the communists. There is only one

political party in China that

represents its leaders. Most totalitarian governments have constitutions, but they do not carry much weight. The opportunity to participate in government is not available to literally billions of people. It is the active involvement of people who have the privilege of being able to participate in government that will ensure these freedoms continue.

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