Who Rules? Forms of Government

Comprehensive fill-in-the-blank practice flashcards covering forms of government, definitions, characteristics, and real-world country examples from the iCivics 'Who Rules?' curriculum.

A government in which one person has all the power is called an __________.

autocracy

The two main types of autocracy are a monarchy and a __________.

dictatorship

In a monarchy, the monarch usually comes to power through the family line, where the current king or queen's __________ becomes the next ruler.

oldest child

In Norway's constitutional monarchy, King Harald V has a mainly ceremonial role, while the actual government functions as a __________.

democracy

A form of government where one leader has absolute control over citizens' lives and constitution is called a __________.

dictatorship

In a democracy, the political power is held by the __________.

citizens

A system where citizens elect leaders to represent their rights and interests in day-to-day governance is a __________ democracy.

representative

A government where citizens participate directly in lawmaking and act as judges without elected representatives is a __________ democracy.

direct

The best historical example of a direct democracy occurred in the ancient Greek city-state called __________.

Athens

The term oligarchy comes from a Greek word that means "__________."

rule by a few

A small group of people—usually military officers—who rule a country after taking it over by force is known as a __________.

junta

From 1962 to 2011, the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar (also known as Burma) was ruled by a military __________.

junta

A government that recognizes God or a divine being as the ultimate authority is called a __________.

theocracy

In the word theocracy, the Greek root word "Theo" translates to __________.

god

Although the Republic of Iran recognizes Islamic law, it also functions alongside democracy because citizens vote to elect their __________.

leaders

A state of existence where nobody is in control—or everyone is—and people are not subject to any government is called an __________.

anarchy

The traditional symbol representing anarchy consists of the letter __________ inside a circle.

A

In Switzerland, citizens elect representatives to assemblies but also vote directly on laws several times a year, blending representative democracy with __________ democracy.

direct

From 1948 to 1994, official policy in South Africa gave all political power to the white minority, making it an __________ combined with representative democracy.

oligarchy

Saudi Arabia combines a monarchy with a __________ because its Basic Law designates the Islamic holy book the Qur'an as its constitution.

theocracy

Denmark features both a Queen with a small ceremonial role and an elected Parliament led by a Prime Minister, making it both a monarchy and a __________ democracy.

representative

North Korea is classified as a __________ because one leader controls the government and party, and candidates on ballots have no opponents.

dictatorship

In Brazil, citizens elect a president every four years and elect representatives to two legislative bodies, making it a __________ democracy.

representative

A government can never simultaneously be a monarchy and an __________ because one requires a ruler while the other means nobody is in charge.

anarchy