All world communities have a form of government.  Within that government there are leaders.  A country may have a president, a governor-general, or a king or queen.  In addition, many governments have special groups of people who make decisions, and run their countries.  The way the leaders come to power can be different in different countries.  Let's see how leaders are selected.  We will also discover some of the ways these leaders make decisions that affect their countries.

President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act

We'll begin here, in the United States.  Our type of government is a democracy.  Our citizens vote for our leaders.  The head of our government is the President of the United States, who is chosen by the people.  However, the President does not run the country all by himself.  Within the government of the United States, there are special groups of people who make decisions and solve problems.  One group, called Congress is a very important part of our government.  Congress makes and carries out the laws in the United States.  Each of the 50 states sends members to Congress who have been elected, or chosen, by the citizens. 

Congress is made up of two sections. One section, the House of Representatives, has 435 members.  Each state sends a certain number of members, depending on its population.  For example, California has 52 members, while Alaska only has one!  The Senate is the other part of Congress.  The Senate is made up of 100 members.  In the Senate, there are two members from each state, no matter how large or small its population.  Together, the House of Representatives, and the Senate work to solve problems in the United States, and create laws to protect its people.

Federal Assembly Building,                             Canada's Parliament Building in Ottawa
 Bern, Switzerland                                                                                          

There are many other democracies in the world.  South Africa, Switzerland, Canada, and Mexico, are just a few examples of countries with democratic governments.  They all elect leaders and groups of representatives to govern their countries.

Some countries have systems of government similar to ours in the United States, yet in addition, they have ruling kings or queens.  Countries such as England, Denmark, Netherlands, Spain, and Thailand are all democracies.  These countries however, also have a royal family to head their country.

In England, as in many other countries, they call their their elected group of representatives Parliament, instead of Congress.  The people of England get to vote for certain members of Parliament.  Like Congress, Parliament is made up of many people who solve problems, and make laws.  There is no president in England, but there is a Prime Minister.  The Prime Minister is the most powerful member of Parliament.  The Prime Minister’s job is similar to that of the President of the United States.

In England today, the ruling leader is a queen.  The queen’s job is important, as well.  The queen can choose the Prime Minister, and helps make important decisions for England.

 
           El Capitolio in Havana, Cuba                       US President Clinton and Jiang Zemin,
                                                                            President of China

In some countries of the world, people can not choose their leaders.  Many countries do not have large groups of people in their government that make the laws.  One person, who makes all of the decisions for the people, rules these countries.  Such countries do not have the freedoms or choices we have in a democracy. The leaders of these countries are dictators.  Cuba, China, Syria, and North Korea are  examples of  countries known as dictatorships.