Branches of Government and Checks & Balances

Study Notes

Branches of Government

Executive Branch: Enforces laws; examples include the President (U.S.) and Prime Minister (other nations); key powers include vetoing laws, appointing officials and judges, and conducting foreign affairs.
Legislative Branch: Creates laws and manages budgets; examples include Congress (Senate and House of Representatives in the U.S.); key powers include overriding presidential vetoes, approving/rejecting appointments, and impeaching the president or judges.
Judicial Branch: Interprets laws; examples include the Supreme Court; key powers include declaring laws and executive actions unconstitutional.

Checks and Balances

Definition: Ensures no branch of government becomes too powerful.
Examples: The president can veto a law (Executive checks Legislative). Congress can override the veto (Legislative checks Executive). Courts can strike down unconstitutional laws or executive actions (Judicial checks both branches).

Forms of Government

Democracy: Citizens hold political power.
- Direct Democracy: Citizens vote directly on laws (e.g., Ancient Athens).
- Representative Democracy: Citizens elect representatives (e.g., U.S., Brazil).
Autocracy: Power held by one person.
- Monarchy: Power passed through a family line (e.g., Saudi Arabia).
- Dictatorship: Absolute power held by one leader (e.g., North Korea).
Oligarchy: A small group holds power (e.g., apartheid South Africa).
Theocracy: Government based on religious authority (e.g., Iran).
Anarchy: No government; state of lawlessness.

Government Systems Examples

Switzerland: Combination of direct and representative democracy.
Denmark: Constitutional monarchy and representative democracy.
Saudi Arabia: Monarchy and theocracy.
Brazil: Representative democracy.
South Africa (apartheid era): Oligarchy and representative democracy.
North Korea: Dictatorship.

Key Vocabulary

Veto: The power to reject a proposed law.
Constitution: A legal document outlining government structure and citizen rights.
Supreme Court: The highest judicial authority.
Autocracy, Oligarchy, Theocracy, Democracy: Defined and examples given above.
Direct vs. Representative Democracy: Explained and exemplified above.

Study Tips

Understand definitions of government forms and branches.
Memorize examples of government systems (e.g., North Korea, Switzerland).
Review details of checks and balances.
Practice comparisons (like direct vs. representative democracy).
Analyze hypothetical scenarios of governance under different systems.

Focus Areas for Long-Answer Questions

Checks and Balances: Describe its role in preventing power abuse, including examples of branch interactions.
Direct vs. Representative Democracy: Understand pros and cons, and form an opinion on which is more effective in modern times.

Description

Explore the three main branches of government: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. Understand their powers and the system of checks and balances that prevents any one branch from becoming too powerful. This quiz will test your knowledge on how these branches interact and function.