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oligarchy – a form of government led by a small group of people with little or no involvement by the people who are being governed * Congress fears that the president and her advisors a

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GLOSSARY

form of government – the way in which a country or state is organized to create

and enforce laws and set rules

* A country’s form of government often reflects its cultural traditions and values

imaginary – pretend; not real; only in one’s mind, especially with a lot of

interesting and creative ideas

* Did you have an imaginary friend when you were growing up?

governance – leadership and control over a group of people

* The rules of governance for this organization’s meetings were established in the bylaws

dictatorship – a system of government in which one person is in control and has

complete authority; authoritarianism

* When he was growing up, his home seemed like a dictatorship where his father made all the rules without input from any other family members

fascist – a person who supports a dictatorship where the nation and/or race is

made more important than individuals; authoritarian nationalism

* Mussolini was a well-known fascist in the early 1900s

partnership – a joint effort; a relationship between two people working together

on a particular task or for a particular purpose

* The local college is trying to form partnerships with area businesses to give students opportunities to learn directly from successful business owners

monarchy – a form of government led by a king, queen, or other royalty

* In a monarchy, once the king dies the oldest son becomes the new king

oligarchy – a form of government led by a small group of people with little or no

involvement by the people who are being governed

* Congress fears that the president and her advisors are acting like an oligarchy, because they aren’t consulting legislators about their plans

to rule – to have and to use governing power, especially in a monarchy or

dictatorship

* How much land and how many people did Caesar rule?

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communist – a person who supports a system of government in which

everything is owned by the public (everyone) and people are paid based on their needs, with the assumption that everyone will contribute as much as he/she can

* Jerome believes that people are too selfish to be true communists They always try to get more while doing less

socialist – a person who supports a societal structure in which things are owned

by the community or by the government, people are paid for their work, and everyone receives the basic things they need, regardless of their contributions

* In this country, people who believe the government should provide free

healthcare are sometimes called socialists by their opponents

elitist – thinking that one is better than everyone else; snobbish; relating to a

sense of superiority and the idea that some people should have important roles

in society than others

* Liam is an elitist who thinks college-educated people are better than everyone else

meritocracy – a system of government in which the decision-makers and other

people in power have their positions because they are well qualified for them and have very strong abilities and talents

* If our government were a meritocracy, government health organizations would

be led by doctors and the FBI would be led by a professional investigators

personal politics – one’s own belief system, desires, and ways of interacting

with other people

* His personal politics would never permit him to own a car that uses a lot of gas

democracy – a system of government in which the people being governed vote

for people who will represent them in lawmaking

* How can we have a functional democracy if people aren’t well informed about important issues?

anarchy – a state of disorder and chaos that results from the lack of a

government or structure, with no rules or authority

* The country has been experiencing a civil war for years, and it’s on the brink of total anarchy

perceptive – able to see, feel, and understand things that most other people

miss or are not aware of

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COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1 Which of these forms of government has the tightest control?

a) A dictatorship

b) An oligarchy

c) A democracy

2 Which system has the least amount of control?

a) A monarchy

b) A meritocracy

c) Anarchy

WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

imaginary

The word “imaginary,” in this podcast, means pretend, not real, or only in one’s mind, especially with a lot of interesting and creative ideas: “The teenagers

played imaginary guitars, pretending they were on stage in front of a large

audience.” As a verb, “to imagine” means to create a mental image or picture of something: “Can you imagine what heaven looks like?” The verb “to imagine” can also mean to have the wrong or incorrect idea about something: “Did she really say that, or was I just imagining it?” The phrase “imagine that” is used to express pleasant surprise over what another person has said: “He got his dream job right after graduation Imagine that!”

rule

In this podcast, the verb “to rule” means to have and to use governing power, especially in a monarchy or dictatorship: “Someday little Prince Harry will rule the kingdom.” The phrase “to rule with an iron fist” means to be extremely strict and severe, possibly violent, when controlling a group of people: “You can try ruling with an iron fist, but eventually people will rebel.” The phrase “to rule the roost” means to be in charge, to be the authority, or to be the most important person in

a group: “Who rules the roost in your family: your father or your mother?” Finally, the phrase “to rule (something) out” means to eliminate something as a

possibility: “The doctors can run some tests to rule out cancer.”

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CULTURE NOTE

Anti-Federalism

“Anti-Federalism” was a “movement” (the efforts of many people to change

society in some way) in the late 1700s that “opposed” (disliked; went against) having a strong “federal” (national; not at the level of the states) government Anti-Federalists feared that states were giving up too much power and control, and they feared that the U.S President would have too much power, “potentially” (possibly) becoming more like a king than the leader of a democratic country

The “Articles of Confederation” were the “predecessor to” (what came before something else) the U.S “Constitution” (the most important legal document in the United States) Created in 1777, the Articles of Confederation gave a lot of power

to the states and described a weak federal government Many people recognized that the federal government would need to have more power, and they supported creation of the U.S Constitution; these people became known as Federalists Other people who continued to support the Articles of Confederation became known as Anti-Federalists

Although the U.S Constitution is “well established” (nobody questions its

relevancy or impact) as the basis of the U.S government, some people still oppose it Like the Anti-Federalists, they believe that the Constitution gives too much power to the federal government They also believe that the Constitution and the U.S government “impinge upon” (harms; has a negative effect on) their

“personal liberties” (freedom to do certain things in one’s personal life) They would like to see the Constitution be “amended” (changed) to give more power to state and local governments

Comprehension Questions Correct Answers: 1 – a; 2 – c

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COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 1,114 – Forms of Government

This is English as a Second Language podcast episode 1,114 I’m your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California

Visit our website at ESLPod.com Become a member of ESL Podcast If you do, you can download the Learning Guide for this episode

This episode is a dialogue between Margaret and Tony about different forms, or types, of government Let’s get started

[start of dialogue]

Margaret: Okay, the teacher said that we should set up an ideal form of

government for our imaginary country and then work out detailed plans for

governance

Tony: I think the simplest is a dictatorship I’ll make all of the decisions

Margaret: You’re sounding like a fascist This is supposed to be a partnership, remember?

Tony: Okay then, let’s make it a monarchy I can be king and you can be queen Margaret: You’ll probably still make all of the decisions as king Maybe we should consider an oligarchy Your family and mine can rule equally

Tony: That’s fine with me, but you’re the communist, or at least socialist Don’t you think an oligarchy would be too elitist? I would think you would prefer a meritocracy of some sort

Margaret: This isn’t about my personal politics It’s about what’s best for our imaginary nation How about a simple democracy?

Tony: There’s nothing simple about a democracy How about no government at all?

Margaret: You mean anarchy?

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Tony: Sure, that would be the simplest

Margaret: Why do I get the feeling that you’re making suggestions based on the amount of work this assignment will take, rather than political considerations? Tony: That’s because you’re very perceptive I have a big weekend planned! [end of dialogue]

Margaret begins our dialogue by saying, “Okay, the teacher said that we should set up an ideal form of government.” “To set up” is a two-word phrasal verb meaning to establish or start Margaret and Tony are in a class in which the teacher has instructed the students or told the students to imagine that they are starting a form of government, an “ideal” (ideal) or perfect form of government A

“form of government” is the way that a country or some region within a country organizes itself – how it makes laws and enforces them or puts them into effect Margaret says that this ideal form of government is “for our imaginary” – or a made-up – “country.” The teacher also told the students to “work out detailed plans for governance.” “To work out” means to figure out, to think about, to plan

“Governance” (governance) refers to leadership and control over a group of people Tony says, “I think the simplest is a dictatorship.” The “simplest” would

be the one that is least complicated

Tony is saying that the simplest form of government would be a “dictatorship” (dictatorship) A dictatorship is a system of government in which one person is in control and has complete authority over the government A dictatorship is run by

a “dictator,” a person who has absolute and complete control of the laws and the government in a country Tony says that he’s going to be the dictator in this imaginary government He says, “I’ll make all of the decisions.”

Margaret says, “You’re sounding like a fascist.” A “fascist” (fascist) is a person who supports a dictatorship where the nation, and/or a given race, is considered more important than the individuals Now, “fascism” has a particular historical context that we’re not going to talk about here People nowadays use this

expression not to refer necessarily to, say, the government of Germany or Italy in the 1930s, but rather to someone who is basically an “authoritarian,” or who believes that the government should be able to do anything it wants That’s a more general use of the term in English

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Margaret says, “This is supposed to be a partnership, remember?” A

“partnership” is when two people work together for some particular purpose Although nowadays, people talk about “partners” (partners) to refer not just to people with whom they have a partnership, but also for people who they might be

in a romantic relationship with I never quite understood this I mean, if

someone’s your “partner,” either he or she is your boyfriend or girlfriend or

husband or wife I mean, really, there aren’t any other choices Are there? But for some reason, nowadays people prefer to say “partner.” I guess they want it to be

a mystery, to keep you guessing, perhaps

Anyway, Tony says, “Okay, let’s make it a monarchy.” Tony proposes making this imaginary government a “monarchy” (monarchy) A monarchy is a form of government that is led by a monarch – a king or a queen There are various countries throughout the world that still have monarchies The government of the United Kingdom – of Great Britain – is a monarchy, officially The head of the government is the queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II (at least at the time of this recording)

There are various other monarchies throughout the world as well, and many countries that used to have a monarch but no longer do, such as France Tony says, “I can be king and you can be queen.” Margaret says, “You’ll probably still make all of the decisions as king.” Margaret doesn’t really like this idea She says, “Maybe we should consider an oligarchy Your family and mine can rule equally.” An “oligarchy” (oligarchy) is a form of government led by a small group

of people who don’t listen to anyone else They decide how the government should be run

The verb “to rule” (rule) means, in this case, to have and use power as a

government It’s often used in connection with a dictatorship, a monarchy, and other forms of government that are not democratic, although really, it could refer

to any kind of government – the functioning of any kind of government Tony says, “That’s fine with me,” meaning that’s okay with me; I agree “But you’re the communist, or at least socialist.”

Tony refers to Margaret as a “communist” (communist) A communist is a person who supports a form of government in which everything is owned by the state, basically, and people are paid based on their needs with the assumption that everyone will contribute as much as he or she can Of course, communism has different forms, and the real definition is a little more complicated than that, but you probably are familiar with communist governments such as the one that used

to be in charge of the Soviet Union or the one that is currently in charge of China

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Tony says that Margaret is a “communist, or at least socialist.” A “socialist”

(socialist) is a little more difficult to define A socialist is a person who believes the government should have a very strong role in owning different parts of an economy and that the government should have a very active role in providing for the needs of the people However, once again, people will differ on the exact definition of what a socialist is

In some countries, such as the United States, the word “socialist,” and certainly the word “communist,” is meant as an insult It’s not something that most

politicians would want to say or admit to, although there is actually a senator from one of our states who is a socialist, but that’s quite unusual in terms of American politics

Tony continues, “Don’t you think an oligarchy would be too elitist?” “Elitist” (elitist) refers to the idea that one thinks one is better than everyone else You think that you are superior, that you and perhaps a small group of people know more or are better than the people around you

Tony says, “I would think you would prefer a meritocracy of some sort.” The word

“meritocracy” (meritocracy) refers to a system of government or to a system in general in which people are given power based on their qualifications – the most talented, the most able people are given more power A meritocracy isn’t

necessarily a democracy A meritocracy could be a system of government where someone decides who is the most talented and gives people power based on that decision It doesn’t necessarily mean that the people in general decide who

is the best to lead the government

Margaret says, however, “This isn’t about my personal politics.” Your “personal politics” are your own belief systems, your own desires, your own ways of

interacting with other people She says, “It’s about what’s best for our imaginary nation How about a simple democracy?” “Democracy” (democracy) is a system

of government in which people vote for the leaders of that government, and in some cases vote directly on laws that will be used by the government It’s a government by the people

The United States has a representative form of democracy, where we vote on people who then vote on the laws for the country It’s not a direct democracy, if you will We don’t usually vote on laws directly, although there are places, such

as here in California, where sometimes we do vote directly on a law, on what are called propositions or referendums – but in general, the U.S has a

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Tony continues, “There is nothing simple about a democracy How about no government at all?” Margaret says, “You mean anarchy?” “Anarchy” (anarchy) is

a situation where there is in fact no government or no one who is in charge, no one who has authority It’s generally considered a state of disorder, a situation where there is no government and things often are rather dangerous Tony says,

“Sure, that would be the simplest.”

Margaret says, “Why do I get the feeling that you’re making suggestions based

on the amount of work this assignment will take, rather than political

considerations?” Margaret is saying that Tony seems to be picking the forms of government that are easiest to write about for this school assignment, not that are best for their imaginary government or imaginary country

Tony says, “That’s because you’re very perceptive.” “To be perceptive”

(perceptive) means to be able to understand things that most people aren’t aware of or don’t understand Tony is telling Margaret that she’s very perceptive – that the forms of government he is suggesting are the easiest ones to write about for the school assignment

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed