Types of Governments | Social Science Grade 7 CBSE

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Explore the forms of government

A government is the group of people who run a country — but not every country is run the same way. Tap each form to see who holds the power and how the leaders are chosen.

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The three big ideas

A government is the group of people who run a country and make decisions for everyone. We need one to:

Make rules and laws that everyone has to follow.
Keep order and settle disputes fairly.
Provide services — roads, schools, hospitals, clean water and safety (police and defence).

Without a government, there would be no one to make shared rules or look after everyone together.

Countries are run in different ways. The main forms of government are:

Democracy — the people rule, through elected representatives.
Monarchy — a king or queen heads the state, usually by birth.
Republic — the head of state is elected, not a hereditary king or queen.
Dictatorship — one person or a small group holds absolute power.
Oligarchy — a small privileged group holds the power.

Common mistake: thinking a monarchy is the same as a dictatorship. They are different — a monarch can be purely ceremonial inside a democracy (as in the UK), while a dictator holds absolute power with no free and fair elections.

India is a democratic republic:

It is a democracy — adult citizens vote to choose their leaders.
It is a republic — the head of state (the President) is elected, not a hereditary king or queen.
Everyone is equal before the law — the same laws apply to every citizen, leaders included.

Worked example. Citizens vote every 5 years to choose leaders who make the laws, and the head of state is elected. What is this?

People electing law-making leaders → a democracy. The head of state is elected, not inherited → it is also a republic. Put together: a democratic republic — exactly like India.

Where you'll meet it

Government in everyday India

Elections & voting

Every few years, adults across India vote to choose their representatives — for the Lok Sabha, the state assembly and local bodies. Casting a vote is how the people stay in charge of the government.

Panchayat & municipal council

Closest to home, the gram panchayat (in villages) or the municipal council (in towns and cities) is a small local government. It looks after streetlights, water and roads — democracy right in your own neighbourhood.

Check yourself

Competency quiz

Modelled on the competency-based pattern — MCQ, assertion–reason and a case study, testing whether you can use the ideas, not just recall them.

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Types ofGovernments