Different Types Of Government

American Government and Civic Engagement HIST 1301 DIFFERENT TYPES OF GOVERNMENT The most accurate description of American government is that of a republic, or representative democracy. A democracy is a form of governance where the people themselves hold political power, which includes influence on institutions, decision-makers, and policies. However, under a representative democracy, the people are not in direct control. Rather, they choose representatives to act as a collective voice and enact legislation. In order to represent them, American voters cast ballots for representatives in Congress, the president and vice president, state legislators, governors, mayors, town council members, and school board members. The majority of representative governments support majority rule, which gives the views of the majority of the population greater clout in decision-making than those of the minority. A proposed bill will become law if there are more elected representatives in favour of it than against it. Minority rights, on the other hand, are safeguarded in representative democracies like the US; persons cannot be denied rights even while a resounding majority of people believe they ought to be. Let's take a scenario where American society determined that those who deny the existence of God, or atheists, were wicked and ought to be put in jail or banished from the nation. Atheists would be protected under minority rights even if they make up only 7% of the population. 4 The minority is protected even if the number of Americans who believe in God greatly equals the number who do not. In a representative democracy like the United States, where decisions are made by majority rule, voicing your opinions and casting your vote for those men and women who make decisions that impact all of us are important and significant forms of civic engagement. In a direct democracy, on the other hand, citizens actively participate in the process of making decisions by the government. For instance, all male inhabitants of the most wellknown direct democracy, ancient Athens, were permitted to attend Assembly sessions. They discussed and cast votes in favour of or against each proposed law here. Certain aspects of direct democracy are present in the United States, even though neither the federal government nor any state government operate as direct democracies since the Constitution mandates that both the federal and state governments be representational. People may still vote directly on some topics, even though inhabitants of the several states elect representatives to the state legislatures and Congress to act on their behalf and enact laws. To put the topic out of the state legislature's hands, a proposed bill or referendum can be put on the ballot for direct citizen voting during state or municipal elections. All town members in New England are free to discuss issues affecting the town. These kinds of events offer more chances for civic participation. Nowadays, most nations use some kind of representational democracy. Governments that are driven by the elites are at the opposite extreme of the political spectrum. One king, often a hereditary ruler, is in charge of politics in a monarchy. Some monarchs have legal restrictions on their authority, although this isn't always the case. Instead, these kings and queens frequently coexist with an elected legislature that enacts national laws. The rulers of several countries in southwest Asia, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, are absolute monarchs with unchecked authority. As was previously said, an oligarchy is another nondemocratic type of government in which all political power is held by a small group of elite citizens, frequently people who identify with a specific political party. For instance, only Communist Party members are eligible to vote or hold public office in Cuba, like in China, and all political decisions are made by the party's most powerful members. Totalitarian societies do exist in certain nondemocratic cultures. Totalitarianism is a political system in which the government dominates all facets of citizens' life and has greater authority than the people. The government restricts citizens' liberties and forbids political opposition or criticism. These are not very common kinds of government. An illustration of a totalitarian regime is found in North Korea.