Starter quiz
- A system of government in which citizens vote in regular, fair elections for representatives who then make laws and decisions on their behalf is known as a ...
- 'democracy' ✓
- Which of the following are key features of a democracy?
- Citizens cannot vote or have a say in decisions.
- Citizens can vote or have a say in decisions. ✓
- Citizens cannot influence decisions in the country.
- Citizens can influence decisions in the country. ✓
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- ______ is the name of the building where the UK Government meets to make and debate laws.
- 'The Palace of Westminster' ✓
- In the UK, citizens vote in a general election for their local ______ to represent them in Parliament.
- 'Member of Parliament' ✓
- How can a school council demonstrate the principles of democracy?
- by allowing teachers to make all decisions
- by giving students a voice in school matters ✓
- by appointing a single student leader without input
- by enforcing rules without feedback from students
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- What is a representative?
- someone who makes decisions only for themselves
- someone who makes decisions on behalf of others
- someone who is elected to speak and makes decisions on behalf of others ✓
- someone who is elected to speak and makes decisions only for themselves
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Exit quiz
- A ______ gives a general vote to the electorate on a single political issue.
- 'referendum' ✓
- Can you match the type of democracy to its corresponding example?
- representative democracy⇔voting in a general election ✓
- direct democracy⇔referendum ✓
- Name a country that is an example of a direct democracy.
- 'Switzerland' ✓
- Which of the following statements is correct?
- A country is either a direct democracy or not.
- Not all countries have direct democracy, and its form varies by country. ✓
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- What type of democracy is the UK political system?
- 'representative democracy' ✓
- Match the statement to whether it is a strength or weakness of direct democracy.
- strength⇔decisions may be more acceptable to the population ✓
- weakness⇔costly and time-consuming ✓
- strength⇔may encourage political engagement ✓
- weakness⇔sometimes generates an emotional, not a rational, response ✓
Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- A direct democracy is where people decide on the policy directly, with Switzerland being an example.
- A representative democracy is a system where citizens elect others to represent them, with the UK being an example.
- There are advantages and disadvantages to both types of democracy.
Common misconception
A country just uses direct democracy.
Direct democracy can be used on its own or with other forms of democracy, such as representative democracy.
Keywords
Direct democracy - a type of democracy where the people decide on the policy directly, for example, through a vote or referendum on each issue
Representative democracy - a type of democracy where citizens choose others to represent them in making important decisions on their behalf
Referendum - a general vote by the electorate on a single political issue which has been referred to them for a direct decision; it is a form of direct democracy
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