Starter quiz
- Match the type of government to its characteristic.
- democracy⇔people vote for a party to lead the Government ✓
- dictatorship⇔power is concentrated in a single leader or party, without opposition ✓
- monarchy⇔leadership is passed through a royal family ✓
- Why may the media be less reliable in a non-democratic country?
- The media focuses on reporting only good news.
- The media might be controlled and used for propaganda. ✓
- The media is mainly focused on presenting scientific data.
- The media encourages people to protest against the Government.
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- Which of these characteristics makes elections in democracies fair?
- citizens may be prevented from casting votes
- elections are held but manipulated by outside influences
- eligible citizens can vote for whomever they wish ✓
- elections are rigged to favour certain candidates
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- Direct democracy is used in Switzerland, which allows citizens to vote on proposed ______.
- 'laws' ✓
- In which of these countries are you most likely to get into trouble for criticising the Government?
- Saudi Arabia ✓
- Germany
- Finland
- New Zealand
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- Which of these statements best describes the concept of the rule of law, a key feature of a democracy?
- The law applies to everyone, and no one is exempt from it. ✓
- The law is only for citizens, not for government officials.
- The law is enforced only during certain times of the year.
- The law can be changed without public consultation or a clear process.
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Exit quiz
- Which of these is not a category in the Democracy Index?
- full democracy
- flawed democracy
- hybrid regime
- dictatorship ✓
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- Which of the following is an example of an authoritarian regime?
- Mauritius
- USA
- Turkey
- North Korea ✓
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- Which of these categories is a factor scored in the Democracy Index?
- quality of climate
- functioning of government ✓
- size of population
- cost of living
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- Match the following factors to their descriptions in the Democracy Index.
- electoral process⇔the ability for citizens to freely choose their leaders ✓
- political culture⇔the attitudes and values people have about how the country is run ✓
- civil liberties⇔the fundamental freedoms granted to people in the country ✓
- Governments may exist on a political spectrum and can have a mix of both democratic and ______ traits.
- 'authoritarian' ✓
- Which of these pieces of evidence does not explain why Norway has such a high score on the Democracy Index?
- It has a strong economy with high levels of services and low unemployment. ✓
- Its citizens are free to express their opinions and campaign politically.
- Its powers are spread across the monarchy, Parliament and independent courts.
- It allows free and fair elections to be held every five years.
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Governments range across the world from full democracies to authoritarian regimes.
- There are five main factors that determine how democratic a country is.
- Systems of government are different across the world.
Common misconception
Democratic governments cannot have authoritarian features, and authoritarian regimes cannot have democratic elements.
Governments are not always purely democratic or authoritarian. Many exist on a spectrum and can have a mix of both democratic and authoritarian traits.
Keywords
Democracy - a system of government in which citizens vote in regular, fair elections for representatives who then make laws and decisions on their behalf
Democracy index - an index measuring the quality of democracy across the world
Government - the group of people with the authority to govern a country; in the UK the Government is chosen and led by the Prime Minister (PM)
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