Transcript Types of Governments

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
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UNITARY

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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:
Unitary
Regional
Regional
Authority
Authority
Central
Authorit
y
Regional
Regional
Authority
Authority
CONFEDERATION

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A voluntary organization or association of
independent states
A confederation forms to secure some common
purpose, such as economic development or
security
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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:
Confederation
Regional
Authority
Regional
Authority
Central
Authorit
y
Regional
Authority
Regional
Authority
FEDERAL
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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
Regional
Authority
Authority
Central
Authorit
y
Regional
Regional
Authority
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.
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Example:
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Voluntary
organization
Members have a
common purpose
Central government
has little authority
Who has the power?
Confederation