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EU- Governance
individually and collectively responsible to the legislature. May have a
Prime Minister elected by the legislature.
Example: United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany
Presidential: a system of government in which the president is
constitutionally independent of the legislature.
Example: Mexico and Brazil
Sample Question for CG1c (OAS Database)
In which system of government does the legislature elect the
executive leader of the government?
A. presidential democracy
B. communist
C. parliamentary democracy*
D. dictatorship
Sample Question for CG1c (OAS Database)
Which best describes how a parliamentary democracy differs
from a presidential democracy?
A. The legislature consists of two houses.
B. There are usually two major political parties.
C. There are state as well as national governments.
D. The head of the government is a member of the legislature.*
Sample Question for CG1c (OAS Database)
The leader of the Parliament in countries such as Australia,
Canada, and the United Kingdom is called the
A. speaker.
B. president.
C. chairman.
D. prime minister.*
Sample Question for CG1c
You are the chief executive in your country’s democraticallyelected national government. You came to power in the last
election after your political party won a majority of seats in the
national legislature. As the leader of your political party, you
were chosen to be the head of government by your co-workers in
the legislature. Which form of government do you have?
A. parliamentary*
B. presidential
C. autocratic
D. oligarchic
SS6CG2 The student will explain the structures of national governments in Latin America
and the Caribbean.
Students should use the information from SS6CG1 to describe the form of government and formulate
appropriate research questions to understand the government of the countries listed in the element. {The
type of government for each country listed in the elements is found in the State Department’s Background
Notes {http://www.state.gov/countries/} and the CIA World Fact Book
{https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html}, as are definitions of each type
of government.
a. Compare the federalrepublican systems of the
Federative Republic of Brazil
(Brazil) and the United
Mexican States (Mexico) to
the dictatorship of the
When one compares the listed governments, only the type of leadership
and the roles of the citizen are assessable. In identifying the type of
leadership, students should know the type of leader (monarch, president,
prime minister, etc.) and how this person becomes the country’s leader.
To identify the role of the citizen, students should look at SS6CG1b and
determine what role the citizen actually plays in the government. For
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SOCIAL STUDIES  GRADE SIX TEACHER NOTES
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Republic of Cuba (Cuba),
distinguishing the form of
leadership and the role of the
citizen in terms of voting and
personal freedoms.
personal freedoms, students should understand those freedoms in terms
of such things as freedom of speech and freedom of the press as
understood in the United States.
Assessment questions should not focus on discrete fact-related questions,
such as which country has a monarch; rather, they should focus on how a
leader of a specific country becomes its leader and what impact that has
on the role of the citizen. The following descriptions come from the CIA
World Factbook (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-worldfactbook/index.html) and/or the State Department’s Background Notes
(http://www.state.gov/countries/).
Brazil and Mexico both have a Federal Republic. A Federal Republic is a
state in which the powers of the central government are restricted and in
which the component parts (states, colonies, or provinces) retain a
degree of self-government; ultimate sovereign power rests with the
voters who chose their governmental representatives. (CIA World
Factbook)
Cuba is a dictatorship. A dictatorship is a form of government in which a
ruler or small clique wield absolute power (not restricted by a
constitution or laws).
(CIA World Factbook lists Cuba’s government as a Communist state).
BrazilChief of state:
President
Head of government:
President
Brazil has a President who is both the chief of state and head of
government.
Elections: President and vice president elected on the same ticket by
popular vote for a single four-year term. (CIA World Factbook)
Bicameral National Congress consists of the Federal Senate and the
Chamber of Deputies.
Members of the Federal Senate and the Chamber of Deputies are elected.
Suffrage:
Voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70; compulsory over
18 and under 70 years of age; note - military conscripts do not vote
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
SOCIAL STUDIES  GRADE SIX TEACHER NOTES
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MexicoChief of state:
President
Head of government:
President
Mexico has a President who is both the chief of state and head of
government.
Elections: President elected by popular vote for a single six-year term.
Bicameral National Congress consists of the Senate and the Chamber of
Deputies.
National Congress and Chamber of Deputies members are elected by
popular vote.
Suffrage: 18 years of age; compulsory (but not enforced)
CubaChief of state:
President
Head of government:
President
Cuba has a President who is both the chief of state and head of
government.
Elections:
President and vice president elected by the National Assembly
(legislature) for a term of five years; election last held February 2008. The
president and vice president were elected with 100% of the legislative
vote.
Cuba’s Communist Party is the only legal party, and officially sanctioned
candidates to the Legislative branch (Nation Assembly) run unopposed.
Unicameral National Assembly of People's Power.
Members are elected directly from slates approved by special candidacy
commissions to serve five-year terms.
Fidel Castro ruled Cuba from 1959 to 2008. When he stepped down his
brother Raul became ruler.
Suffrage:
16 years of age.
Utilize sources such as CIA World Factbook and US State Department
Background Notes for information pertaining to personal freedoms of
citizens and ways citizens participate in government.
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SOCIAL STUDIES  GRADE SIX TEACHER NOTES
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Note:
Chief of state includes the name and title of the titular leader of the country who
represents the state at official and ceremonial functions but may not be involved
with the day-to-day activities of the government.
Head of government includes the name and title of the top administrative leader
who is designated to manage the day-to-day activities of the government.
For example, in the UK, the monarch is the chief of state, and the prime minister
is the head of government.
In the US, the president is both the chief of state and the head of government.
Sample Question for CG2a (OAS Database)
Cuba has a type of government in which the ruler has
absolute power and is not restricted by a constitution, laws,
or the citizens. Name the type of government.
A. Federal-Republican
B. Dictatorship*
C. Parliamentary democracy
D. Presidential democracy
Sample Question for CG2a (OAS Database)
Cuba is an example of a type of government in which a ruler or
small group has absolute power and is not restricted by a
constitution or laws?
A. republic.
B. democracy.
C. parliament.
D. dictatorship.*
Sample Question for CG2a (OAS Database)
Mexico has a president who is elected by the people. The powers of the central government are restricted and regional
authorities retain a degree of self-government. Ultimate power rests with the voters who chose their governmental
representatives. Which of the following terms BEST describes Mexico's form of government today?
A. Military Dictatorship B. Federal Republic* C. Constitutional Monarchy D. Parliamentary Democracy
SS6CG3 The student will explain the structure of the national government of Canada.
Students should use the information from SS6CG1 to describe the form of government and formulate
appropriate research questions to understand the government of the countries listed in the element. {The
type of government for each country listed in the elements is found in the State Department’s Background
Notes {http://www.state.gov/countries/} and the CIA World Fact Book
{https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html}, as are definitions of each type
of government.
a. Describe the structure of
the Canadian government as
a constitutional monarchy, a
parliamentary democracy,
and a federation,
distinguishing the role of the
citizen in terms of voting and
In comparing the listed governments, only the type of leadership and the
roles of the citizen are assessable. In identifying the type of leadership,
students should know the type of leader (monarch, president, prime
minister, etc.) and how this person becomes the country’s leader. To
identify the role of the citizen, students should look at SS6CG1b and
determine what role the citizen actually plays in the government. For
personal freedoms, students should understand those freedoms in terms
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
SOCIAL STUDIES  GRADE SIX TEACHER NOTES
Approved 7/27/2009  Page 19 of 47
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