Introduction

Welcome to Forms of Government Systems Web Quest! During this web quest, you will be able to:

  • complete a worksheet as you learn about different types government around the world through research using technology
  • understand the pros and cons of each type of government
  • determine the form of government you have in your own country
  • decide which type of government that can best solve a hypothetical problem
  • create a PowerPoint presentation showing your solution to a hypothetical problem and present it in class

Task

Part 1 – Worksheet (25 points)

Individually (one person), complete worksheet with information you learn as your read articles and watch videos. Explain each concept in your own words. Do not just copy the information; it is important that you understand the meaning.

Part 2 – Presentation (25 points)

Pair up with another person then:

  • choose 1 of the 5 hypothetical problems/scenarios
  • decide what form/s of government can effectively solve this problem
  • create a short PowerPoint presentation showing how this government can fix this problem (25 points)

Process

Download the Part-1 worksheet

Part 1 – Worksheet

Use these links to learn about government and economic systems:

Part 2 – Presentation

Before choosing a problem to solve, make sure you fully understand each type of government and economic system. Ask your teacher if you need more help.

Choose one scenario*** below and create a PowerPoint presentation with your partner to explain which type of government would be most helpful in solving the problem.

  1. There are a lot of poor citizens in your society. They cannot find jobs and so crime is rising. The major types of crimes are that people are stealing, drinking too much, there is domestic violence (because of the drinking, but also because so many men are depressed and angry about being poor), and vandalism of public and private property. Your government needs to find a solution because all this crime is bad for business – people cannot trade because they are afraid to travel and do things in public. Which form of government would be the best to have in this situation?
  2. Your society has several groups of people – different races, ethnicities, and religions. The government of has just realized that because people and businesses have been making much more money from trade with other societies, the government collected more taxes and now has extra money. They need to decide how to spend the surplus tax money on the people in a fair way so that each group in society gets some benefits from it. Which government would be the best to have in this situation?
  3. There is an army marching towards your city – you need to raise a defending army, build walls around the city, and this has to be done fast. The problem is that you don’t have enough money in the government’s treasury to do it, so you’d need to get the upper classes to contribute. Which government would be the best to have in this situation?
  4. The president of your society used to be very effective – he defended the nation against an attack from a foreign army, he was able to get different political parties to agree on things, and he was elected twice. But two years before the end of his term as president he messed up – he was caught stealing money from the government and using it to buy houses and then sell them. Many people want him to be removed from power, but others believe that he is still a good president and deserves to finish his term, but be fined a huge amount of money as punishment for what he did. Which form of government would be the best to have in this situation?
  5. Four different gangs have controlled different areas of your city-state for the past 40 years. Before that, there was a dictator, but he died of a heart attack and when nobody could agree on who should take over, the four men who were his closest began fighting against each other. There is so much conflict between these four gangs in the city-state that every day, regular citizens get hurt or killed. Which form of government would be the best to have in this situation?

PowerPoint Presentation Guide

Your presentation should include:

  1. the problem you chose;
  2. the best type of government that can solve this and why; and
  3. your implementation or how exactly you will solve this problem using this type of government

GOOD LUCK!

For Teachers

Before assigning this webquest, make sure:

  • to print out copies of the worksheets for your students.
  • students have access to their own computer when completing this webquest

***Hypothetical situations were adapted from Political Systems Scenarios

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