CONTENT STATEMENT
- Governments can be categorized as monarchies, theocracies, dictatorships, or democracies, but categories may overlap and labels may not accurately represent how governments function. The extent of citizens’ liberties and responsibilities varies according to limits on governmental authority.
CONTENT ELABORATION
The study of roles and systems of government in grades four and five serves as a foundation for the study of monarchies, dictatorships and democracies in grade six. The study of theocracies is introduced at this grade level.
Students should understand how power is attained and held, and the relationship between those governing and those being governed for each type of government listed below:
A monarchy is a government in which authority over the people is retained through a ruling family (e.g., Saudi Arabia).
A democracy is a government where the power of those in authority is limited because the people retain the supreme power (e.g., United States).
A dictatorship is a government where a ruler or small group with absolute power over the people, often through fear and/or force (e.g., North Korea).
A theocracy is a government in which authority over the people is held by religious leaders who represent divine power and retain authority through religious beliefs (e.g., Iran).
Students should also recognize that actual systems of government are not always easily categorized and can be misrepresented. Though we use the labels of monarchy, theocracy, dictatorship or democracy, government characteristics often overlap and are inconsistent. Governments labeled as democracies might have some of the characteristics of dictatorships, as is the case with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. North Korea, in reality, is a communist state led by a dictator. The United Kingdom has a royal family, which suggests a monarchy, but the constitutional monarchy is, in practice, much closer to a democracy.
As students develop understanding of the relationship between those governing and those being governed, they should be challenged with the concept that the extent of a citizens’ liberties and responsibilities varies according to the limits of the governing body’s authority. For instance, governmental authority is limited in most democracies, resulting in broad citizen liberties and responsibilities. Conversely, under most dictatorships, the dictator’s authority is unlimited, resulting in strict limits on citizens’ liberties and responsibilities.
EXPECTATIONS FOR LEARNING
Describe the relationship between those in power and individual citizens in a democracy, dictatorship, monarchy, and theocracy.
Explain that the characteristics of government can often overlap and that the categorization of governments can misrepresent the actual relationship between those governing and those being governed.