What keeps government from having too much power? Students learn the answer in this lesson, which outlines five basic limits on government. They analyze the true story of former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori, in which many of those limits disappeared, and they evaluate fictional cases of governments with limits missing. The concepts in this lesson prepare students to understand why the U.S. Constitution is structured the way it is.

One Hour Civics offers a bite sized lesson on how and why nations limit the powers of their government.  We will also compare and contrast governments with differing levels of power over their citizens.

What powers are granted to governments? What limits are their to government power?  What pitfalls are there to giving unlimited power to rulers?  Are there benefits?  

In this session, we will watch a short video, work through the questions outlined above regarding the government powers and limits, complete a comparison worksheet, work together to identify how we limit government power & how other nations apply the five basic limits, and create a fictional government with selected limits missing so we can project the impact on the nation and the citizens.