Hello, you all right? My name's Mrs. Tomassi and I'm gonna be working through with you on your citizenship lesson today.

Hopefully you've got everything you need and if you are all good to go, then we'll get started.

The title of today's lesson is How Does Government Work in Non-Democratic Countries? And this forms part of the unit on How Do Others Govern? Hopefully by the end of the lesson today, you'll be able to explain how government works in non-democratic nations.

So we'll take a look at some of the keywords we're gonna see throughout this lesson.

You'll find these in bold, so if you ever need to refer back to them, you can come to this slide here.

So today we've got two keywords, which are government, which is the group of people with the authority to govern a country.

In the UK, the government is chosen and led by the Prime Minister, sometimes known as the PM.

The second word is authoritarian regime.

Now this is a system of government where leaders have complete control and people are expected to obey without question, often limiting individual's freedoms. You'll find these throughout, so again, you need to, you can refer back to them here.

We'll make a start with the first learning cycle, which is what are non-democratic nations.

So a non-democratic nation or government is where leaders are not elected fairly or by the people.

So if you're thinking about that, what features might be seen in non-democratic governments? Have you got any ideas already? Are you thinking, if people haven't been elected, then how did they get into power? So they probably don't have free and fair elections.

It might be a one-party rule or a dictatorship.

If you haven't heard of that, we will cover this through the lesson.

No protection of human rights.

Restricted citizen participation and government control over media and information.

Non-democratic governments are split between hybrid regime and authoritarian regime according to the democracy index.

So you've got the democracy index map there and what this is, have you've got any ideas what the colours are? So if you go from the blue all the way to the red.

Any that are like a really dark blue are your full democracies.

Then you've got flawed democracies, which are like the lighter blues.

The yellowy shades are the hybrid regimes.

So that's a mix.

And then you've got authoritarian regime, which is in red, and they're the ones that's keyword, which we're gonna look at more today because they tend to be more non-democratic governments.

Obviously you do get some hybrid regimes as well, so we're focusing more on them, yellowy, red colours.

If there are any countries that you're particularly interested in, you can have a look on the map and see where they sit.

Basically we have different types of non-democratic nations, and those are those redy, yellowy colours.

They could all form different parts of government.

So some of them might be absolute monarchies, some might be authoritarian regimes or states, some dictatorships and some one-party states.

Again, we're gonna go through these in more detail.

Just a check to see where we are, which type of non-democratic government is missing from the list? We've got absolute monarchies, authoritarian regimes or states and one-party states.

Which one is missing? Did you manage to get the dictatorships is missing from the list? So we will start to explain what each of them are.

So we'll start with an absolute monarchy.

Now you might have heard of a monarchy before, especially if you've looked at anything to do with parliament.

And in the UK we have a monarchy.

So do you know what a monarchy is? That is our king or queen.

Now an absolute monarchy is a system of government where the ruler, so the king, queen, or emperor, has complete power.

A bit different in the UK, we have a constitutional monarchy, so that's why we have parliament as well as the monarch.

Some governments and some countries just have the monarch in charge.

So what does that mean? Well, that means that the rulers power is not limited by laws or other authorities.

There's no one really to check and balance what they're doing, which means that you don't have a separation of powers.

So really it's whatever that king, queen, or emperor says goes.

So because that, it tends not to have elections as well, because if you think about the monarchy, it goes down hereditary, it passes down in generations, and they tend to have traditions or religious influences, some legal systems that might limit the rulers power to some extent.

So although it is whatever the ruler and the monarch says goes, there still might be some reasons why they do the things they do.

Maybe they follow certain traditions or religious values, maybe they do have some other systems in place as well.

So Lucas says here, "Hereditary means that it's passed down through the family." And that's what we're talking about, going through the generations, sometimes you hear it as hereditary.

So moving on, we're gonna look at an authoritarian regime or state.

And this is a system of government where people are controlled by one leader or a small group of people.

Examples here, in these kind of systems of government, you would expect maybe freedom of speech and press to be severely restricted or the opposition might be silenced, imprisoned, or persecuted.

And then we have dictatorships which are governed by a dictator.

What that means is that the ruler has total power and then dictators tend to rise to power through force such as military coup, revolution or rigged elections.

So what that means is that maybe there's been an issue in the country and the dictator has managed to get through that.

A revolution, maybe there's overthrown a government.

Or rigged elections, and that means that the elections have been one sided, they haven't been fair and somebody's managed to get through because of that.

Now, the reason this can happen is due to, if there's been an economic crisis, or if there's been war.

The next one we have is one-party states.

This is where one political party controls the government.

So if you think about the UK being a multi-party system and there being lots of different political parties, in these countries, I think you probably guessed it, but there's only one political party that is in control.

Any other political parties aren't able to challenge them, or if they do exist, they might face again, imprisonment or persecution because of that.

So this can mean that the government has total control over everything.

So things like education, media, the same as if you think about like the UK Parliament, what they do.

Well, this government would get to make all the decisions about that country.

Elections aren't free because the citizens can't choose other parties.

So actually these countries probably do have elections.

However, the members of the electorate actually don't get to vote for other people, or if they do, those other people aren't gonna get put into power.

In these types of government as well, citizens that disagree can face punishment or restrictions.

Alex says here, "Why would the government want total control over education?" In one-party states, the government can control what is taught in schools.

So really it makes sure that people only learn ideas that support the ruling party.

So it's that idea, if you think education and everyone's going through that system from a young age, if they're only taught those ideas, then when they grow up, they would just assume that that is the norm and that is how things are done.

So this can include things like resources, lessons, and media that spread the government's message.

And they teach people to believe the party's power and control.

So they use education as propaganda and they might shape that way from people from a young age.

Now when we say propaganda, what we're talking about is the ways that people use things like the media, in this case education, to shape the perceptions of the public.

So it helps to shape the way, in this case, young people think.

It would also help to shape the way for the parents and older people, et cetera.

All types of non-democratic governments are more likely to experience things like censorship.

Do you know what censorship is? So censorship, which is this idea of controlling information, which links into propaganda, which is then the idea of how that information is given and what it is.

Censorship and propaganda do link together because the censorship might be the control of the information.

However, the propaganda is more the way that you are gonna be influenced.

So maybe through the advertising, like the example we saw before, through the education system.

It's the way of getting across the message to change people's perceptions on an issue or a topic.

Then you've got restricted citizen participation.

So that means, you know, like we're saying with the elections, maybe in some governments you wouldn't be able to vote.

And what this does and why this happens is because it helps the ruling government to stay in control.

In many non-democratic governments, surveillance and abuse of fear are widespread to ensure citizens remain compliant.

So it's this idea that if citizens then on board, then that government or ruling group can stay in power.

So Alex says, "Do the laws exist in non-democratic nations?" Now actually, yes, non-democratic governments still have laws and rules, but these are made by the leaders in power.

So there might be limited checks and balance in place to hold them accountable.

Now what that's saying is if you think about like UK Parliament, if they make a decision that goes against the law, the judiciary and the courts can go, "Hmm, actually no that can't happen." However, in a non-democratic government, you probably haven't got that checks and balance.

So if a law is questionable or people might not agree with it, or they might say, "Well that's not fair," there isn't anybody there to then go, "Actually no, we need to look at this." So the rule of law in non-democratic countries, and that's what links into what we've been talking about, might be inconsistent and any legislative branch is designed to favour those in power.

So the rule of law, meaning nobody is above the law, might be inconsistent or weak.

Check for understanding now, 'cause we've gone through a lot of information there.

Non-democratic nations are lawless.

True or false? That is false.

Why is that false? Non-democratic nations do have laws and rules, but they would favour those in power.

Now that moves us onto first task.

So we've got Lucas here who says, "Absolute monarchies and dictatorships run in the same way." Explain to Lucas why his statement is incorrect.

Take some time, see if you can think of some reasons and some differences between absolute monarchies and dictatorships.

And then once you've got your answer and you're ready, unpause it and we can go through.

How did you get on? Hopefully you've managed to come up with some differences.

Now your answer could look like this.

So this is incorrect because absolute monarchies are usually hereditary and the ruler is either a king, queen, or emperor.

Whereas in a dictatorship, the dictator usually takes power by force when there have been issues such as war in the country.

Now that moves us on to our second learning cycle now.

So we're now gonna look at where do non-democratic nations exist.

So we had a look at the start of a map of the world and now we're gonna have a look at some of those countries that were in the redy, yellowy colours in more detail.

So we're gonna start with North Korea.

Now North Korea is seen as a dictatorship.

The reason that it is seen as that is because there is a centralised control.

So the supreme leader in the country has absolute power, dominates the government, military, and economy, which are three main parts of the country.

There are limited human rights and the reason is because there's restrictions to freedom of speech, freedom of movement, and political expression.

The state controlled media, so all news outlets are owned and regulated by the government.

If you think back to that first learning cycle, can you think of those two words that would link into this idea that there is state controlled media? So can you remember? So things like censorship and propaganda.

If you did, great job because that is exactly what this would link into.

So they censor what goes through the media and then they might use propaganda again through the media by only putting out certain messages on TV programmes, et cetera.

There's also a control of opposition party.

So no political opposition is allowed.

Again, that links to a different type of rule as well.

So thinking about the one-party rule, it's similar to that idea.

Now if we go into more detail, so you might know who the leader of North Korea is.

So it's ruled by the Kim family and that since it was founded in 1948.

So the ruling power is passed down through the family.

Can you remember what that word is? Hereditary.

Did you manage to get it? Hopefully you did.

So there's limited freedom of movement in North Korea.

Citizens cannot travel abroad without government permission.

Tourists can only travel to North Korea on approved tours.

So it's the same if citizens want to leave the country, they would need government permission and at the same, anybody that would like to visit North Korea also can only go on approved tours and can only look around certain parts.

So again, if we think about it, that could link into that idea of censorship again.

It's censoring what you can see and when you can see it.

So in North Korea, the leader has final decision on laws and judicial decisions.

So laws might be applied unequally.

Can you think why? Remembering that separation of powers.

So now if you can, it's trying to link in all them different ideas 'cause they do cross over and you're gonna see them throughout.

So that censorship, propaganda, separation of powers, they're all coming up time and again.

So check for understanding now, can you remember which of the following demonstrates why North Korea is a dictatorship? A, citizens have restricted access to media.

B, citizens can travel freely.

C, citizens cannot give opinions on the leader.

There were two correct answers there.

Did you manage to get them A and C? B, they cannot travel freely.

So Lucas says here, "Citizens must have government permission to travel abroad." We are now gonna look at China.

Now, China is an example of a one-party state.

Do you remember what that is? So also think if there's one political party in charge.

For example, in China, that's the communist party and there is limited access to media with state-run internet and television.

So again, we are leading back to them ideas.

Do you remember them words? They're gonna come up again, it's censorship and propaganda and there's no effective political opposition.

So that links back to the one-party state, obviously, because there aren't other political parties that can go up against them.

So eligible citizens have the right to vote and have a secret ballot to elect local representatives.

However, the selection of national leaders is limited to those at the top level.

What this is saying is that actually in China the eligible citizens can vote, but they vote for their local candidate.

So they only get to vote for their local candidate.

Then what happens is those in vote higher and the national leaders is only voted in by those that are at the top.

And there are five tiers.

So yes, people can vote, but those at the top can only really vote for the people at the top.

So if you are thinking about that, if you were that person and you wanna stay at the top, you're probably gonna vote in the people that were gonna keep you there, if that makes sense.

That gives you an example of having elections, but maybe they're not so free and fair.

We then have Saudi Arabian.

Now this is an example of an absolute monarchy.

Can you remember back to the first learning cycle, what an absolute monarchy is? Remember the monarchy being the king or queen.

In this case, an absolute monarchy is the king, queen, or emperor ruling the country.

So the reason Saudi Arabia has seen an absolute monarchy is 'cause the king is the head of state, government, and the commander in chief of the military.

So the king appoints members of the council of ministers and legislative body.

But again, if we think if the king is appointing the legislative side, what is there? A weak separation of powers.

Did you remember to get that? Like I said before, these words keep coming up.

And then also on top of that, the king here is also at the top of the judicial system and acts as the final court of appeal.

So what that's saying is if there was an issue in a lower court and it goes up and it gets to the highest court in the country, the person in charge of that is the king.

It's the king that somebody has gone against already.

Well then the king gets the final suggestion in court.

So it's again linking to that idea that there's a weaker separation of powers.

It's also to note that it can include the use of capital punishment and executions in the country.

We then have Iran.

Now Iran is seen as an authoritarian regime.

Remember we saw them on the democracy index.

Now the reason Iran's seen as that is because Iran's supreme leader, the Ayatollah, holds ultimate authority over the government, military, and judiciary.

Again, like we've just seen in Saudi Arabia, it's linking that there's a weaker separation of powers here.

And as the top political and religious figure, he controls key decisions, which include things like foreign policy and national security.

Again, we are seeing that the leader is holding a lot of power.

So freedom of speech is heavily restricted.

To give an example, in 2024, a law was introduced that permits the imposition of the death penalty for peaceful activism against Iran's compulsory veiling laws.

So why is Iran considered an authoritarian regime? Is it A, the government holds authority and is chosen in free and fair elections, B, the supreme leader holds ultimate authority and freedom of speech as heavily restricted, Or is it C, the military controls government decisions and limits political freedoms? Hopefully you managed to work out that it was B.

Now that moves us on to the final task.

So we've got the Oak National Academy pupils are given examples of different types of authoritarian regimes in non-democratic nations.

One, are they correct? If any are wrong, rewrite them correctly.

And then the second part, for each example write one paragraph which explains some of the key features that make it a non-democratic nation.

So Lucas says, "North Korea is an example of an absolute monarchy." And Alex says, "China is an example of a dictatorship." Take some time, work out if they're correct.

And then once you've done that, see if you can write a paragraph that explains the key features of a non-democratic nation.

When you're ready, unpause, and we'll go through the feedback.

So are they correct? Actually, Lucas there, "North Korea is an example of a dictatorship," and "China is an example of a one-party state." Then if we move on to the second part, your paragraph of North Korea might have included.

North Korea is a dictatorship because the supreme leader has complete control over everything: The government, the military, and even the economy.

The leader, who comes from the Kim family, has all the power and it's passed down through generations.

Citizens in North Korea lack basic freedoms, e.

g.

freedom of speech, movement, or political expression.

They can't travel abroad without permission and tourists can only visit on government approved tours.

The media is controlled by the state, so all news is regulated by the government.

There are no opposition parties, meaning no one is allowed to challenge the leader's power.

How did you get on with that? Hopefully you managed to get that information.

Now, if you chose China, you could have said, China is a one-party state because the Communist Party controls everything.

There's no real political opposition, and citizens can't vote for anyone outside the party.

Although people can vote for local representatives, the selection of national leaders is controlled by the party and is limited to a small group of people at the top.

The government also controls the media with most news and information coming from state-run TV and internet.

The political system is made up of five levels of People's Congresses, but all decisions are made by the Communist Party.

Again, hopefully now you have a better understanding of some places that non-democratic nations exist and how they function, which brings us onto the summary.

So to summarise, there are different types of non-democratic governments, including absolute monarchies, authoritarian regimes, dictatorships, and one-party states.

Absolute monarchies are led by the king, queen, ruler, or emperor and the one-party states have one main political party that runs the country.

Non-democratic governments still have laws.

Some non-democratic governments include China, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.

So actually that is the important thing to remember.

Although a government might be non-democratic, laws still exist.

It is very rare to have somewhere that is completely lawless, but it's just the way the country is run from the top that differs and how like the separation of powers exist.

So hopefully you have a better understanding now.

Thank you for working with me today and enjoy the rest of your day.