Political Systems and Forms of Government Posters

Teaching government and civics vocabulary can be challenging because students are often expected to understand a large number of similar-sounding terms. That's why I created this printable poster set with 24 different forms of government.

Print these posters and display them on a bulletin board or create a word wall or banner across your room. You can also change your printer settings and print the pages at half-size or enlarge for a larger anchor chart. One option is to print half-size and have your students add the terms to a notebook for easy reference.

Posters Included in this Set:

A poster for each of the following terms is included with an image that correlates.

- Political System

- State

- City-State

- Empire

- Nation-State

- Forms of Government

- Oligarchy

- Democracy

- Direct Democracy

- Representative Democracy

- Republic

- Monarchy

- Absolute Monarchy

- Constitutional Monarchy

- Autocracy

- Bureaucracy

- Theocracy

- Colonialism

- Authoritarian

- Fascism

- Communism

- Socialism

- Totalitarianism

- Dictatorship

Why Government Vocabulary Matters:

Government vocabulary is the foundation for understanding civics, world history, and current events. Students may encounter a statement that a country is a democracy, but without strong vocabulary or background knowledge, it can be difficult for students to understand what that description actually means. Having these terms visible in the classroom can provide a reference for students as they encounter examples throughout a unit.

What teachers are saying:

"This helped me teach the difference between government systems and was useful as a resource for students to refer back to." - Emily C.

"Great posters that I was able to print off and use for activities in the classroom really like how it is formatted and easy to read for student use." - Danae B.

Grab the posters for your classroom here.