Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Class on the 30th of November

Today in class we continued to examine various forms of government.  Remember you have a current event due on the 5th of December.

dic·ta·tor·ship

noun
1.
a country, government, or the form of government in which absolute power is exercised by a dictator.
2.
absolute, imperious, or overbearing power or control.
3.
the office or position held by a dictator.

Origin:
1580–90; dictator + -ship

mon·ar·chy


noun, plural -chies.
1.
a state or nation in which the supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in a monarch. Compare absolute monarchy, limited monarchy.
2.
supreme power or sovereignty held by a single person.
Origin:
1300–50; Middle English
monarchie  < Late Latin monarchia  < Greek monarchía. See monarch, -y3

de·moc·ra·cy
noun, plural -cies.
1.
government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.
2.
a state having such a form of government: The United States and Canada are democracies.
3.
a state of society characterized by formal equality of rights and privileges.
4.
political or social equality; democratic spirit.
5.
the common people of a community as distinguished from any privileged class; the common people with respect to their political power.

Origin:
1525–35; < Middle French
démocratie  < Late Latin dēmocratia  < Greek dēmokratía  popular government, equivalent to dēmo- demo- + -kratia -cracy


ol·i·gar·chy


noun, plural -chies.
1.
a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few.
2.
a state or organization so ruled.
3.
the persons or class so ruling.

Origin:
1570–80; < Medieval Latin
oligarchia  < Greek oligarchía. See olig-, -archy

re·pub·lic

noun
1.
a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them.
2.
any body of persons viewed as a commonwealth.
3.
a state in which the head of government is not a monarch or other hereditary head of state.
4.
( initial capital letter ) any of the five periods of republican government in France. Compare First Republic, Second Republic, Third Republic, Fourth Republic, Fifth Republic.
5.
( initial capital letter, italics ) a philosophical dialogue (4th century b.c.) by Plato dealing with the composition and structure of the ideal state.

Origin:
1595–1605; < French
république, Middle French < Latin rēs pūblica,  equivalent to rēs  thing, entity + pūblica public

the·oc·ra·cy
noun, plural -cies.
1.
a form of government in which God or a deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler, the God's or deity's laws being interpreted by the ecclesiastical authorities.
2.
a system of government by priests claiming a divine commission.
3.
a commonwealth or state under such a form or system of government.

Origin:
1615–25; < Greek
theokratía. See theo-, -cracy

an·ar·chy

noun
1.
a state of society without government or law.
2.
political and social disorder due to the absence of governmental control: The death of the king was followed by a year of anarchy.
3.
a theory that regards the absence of all direct or coercive government as a political ideal and that proposes the cooperative and voluntary association of individuals and groups as the principal mode of organized society.
4.
confusion; chaos; disorder: Intellectual and moral anarchy followed his loss of faith.

Origin:
1530–40; (< Middle French
anarchie  or Medieval Latin anarchia ) < Greek, anarchía  lawlessness, literally, lack of a leader, equivalent to ánarch ( os ) leaderless ( an- an-1 + arch ( ós ) leader + -os  adj. suffix) + -ia -y

so·cial·ism
noun
1.
a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.
2.
procedure or practice in accordance with this theory.
3.
(in Marxist theory) the stage following capitalism in the transition of a society to communism, characterized by the imperfect implementation of collectivist principles.

Origin:
1830–40; social + -ism

cap·i·tal·ism
noun
an economic system in which investment in and ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is made and maintained by private individuals or corporations, especially as contrasted to cooperatively or state-owned means of wealth.

1854, "condition of having capital;" from capital + -ism. Meaning "political/economic system which encourages capitalists" is recorded by 1877.

com·mu·nism
noun
1.
a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.
2.
( often initial capital letter ) a system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political party.

Origin:
1835–45; < French
communisme. See common, -ism



















Name ________________

Forms of Government



Using the above terms and definitions as a guide answer the following questions.



Which form of government is the most free?  How so?



Which form of government is the least free?  How so?



Which form of government fosters the greatest equality among citizens?  How so?




Which form of government creates the safest environment for citizens?  How so?



Which form of government creates the least safe environment for citizens?  How so?



Which form of government fosters the greatest inequality among citizens?  How so?



Which form of government would you like to live under the most, why?



Which form of government would you least like to live under, why?





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