When it comes to types of
government, it can be difficult to classify systems in a single word.
Governments are ever‐evolving,
which means national governments are composed of several types. Explore
examples of different types of governments found around the globe.
Basic Types of Government
While there are numerous
political philosophies and systems, there are five specific types of government
that are most common around the world. Most forms of government are some
variation of one of the following.
1. Democracy
A popular form of government in the modern era is democracy, which is an example of a limited government. In direct contrast to an authoritarian government, a democracy exists when the people hold the power. Different types of democracy include direct and representative. Most democracies around the world are representative democracies, but there are many types of democracy.
The United States is often
cited as an example of representative democracy, or a democratic republic. More
specifically, the U. S. is a federal republic with a democratic government and
a capitalistic economy. There are several other examples and types of democracy
in the world, including, but certainly not limited to:
Parliamentary
democracy
In a parliamentary
democracy, the head of state is different from the head of government. In the
United Kingdom, the head of state is the monarch, who serves a primarily
ceremonial role, and the head of government is the prime minister.
Executive power is
exercised by the House of Commons and House of Commons on behalf of the monarch
to represent the people. The people vote for members of parliament in
elections, and the party with the most representatives appoints the prime
minister.
Presidential
democracy
The United States is an
example of a presidential democracy. There are three branches of government:
executive, legislative and judicial. The president is the head of the executive
branch of government and the head of state. The people elect the president as
well as the representatives in the Senate and House of Representatives, which
make up the legislative branch. Only the judicial branch is not elected by the
people; instead, they are chosen by the president.
Direct
democracy
Switzerland is a unique
example of direct democracy in practice and has been since 1846. Unlike other
democracies, in a direct democracy electorates may determine policy without
legislative representatives, as opposed to electing representatives as proxies.
For example, any citizen can challenge a law passed by parliament or propose an
amendment to the constitution, and a referendum is mandatory to make changes to
the constitution.
2.
Authoritarian
In an authoritarian
regime, the government has total control. Authoritarian regimes have typically
earned this control by forceful means. While this seems pretty cut and dried,
it is anything but. Authoritarian regimes aren’t always easy to recognize. They
might still hold elections and have branches of government, but only a small
group holds the power. Authoritarian regimes can be monarchies or various forms
of government including communism, socialism and fascism.
Saudi Arabia, under Crown
Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, is an authoritarian state as well as an absolute
monarchy. All the power rests in the hands of the ruling family, the House of
Saud, and the majority of the kingdom’s most important positions are filled by
members of the royal family or report directly to the royal family.
During the 20th century,
Argentina became authoritarian under President Juan Perón. Perón imposed mass
censorship by closing down over 100 publications between 1943 and 1946 and
having opposition members imprisoned and even tortured. After Perón went into
exile in 1955, the following administrations also employed authoritarian
tactics.
When Hugo Chávez became
president of Venezuela in 1999, the country implemented democratic socialism
and a presidential government. However, it also became increasingly
authoritarian under Chávez and later Nicolás Maduro.
3.
Oligarchy
Similar to a monarchy, an
oligarchy places power with a few people or families, typically a country’s
wealthy elite. Unlike aristocracy, oligarchy is not necessarily dependent on
noble birth, but on wealth or those who are deemed most “capable” of ruling.
The term is derived from the Greek words for "few" ﴾óligon﴿ and
"rule" ﴾arkho﴿. There are multiple types of oligarchies, including
autocracy ﴾one dictator rules over everything﴿, plutocracy ﴾rule by the wealthy﴿,
stratocracy ﴾rule by the military﴿, and theocracy ﴾rule by religion﴿. Some
historical and current examples of oligarchies include:
Autocracy
Russia has had an
oligarchy for centuries, beginning in the 15th century and continuing to the
modern day. The wealthy elite have long wielded undue influence in government.
In particular, the Russian czars positioned themselves as autocrats and later
on after the revelation and rise of the Soviet Union, dictators like Vladimir
Lenin and Joseph Stalin also took on autocratic roles.
Plutocracy
City‐states like Athens and Sparta in
Ancient Greece were ruled by wealthy men who shared king‐like power, which they used to enrich
themselves at the expense of the common people.
Stratocracy
Following numerous wars
and gradual expansion, a stratocracy system developed over time in Ancient
Rome. After the Marian reforms in 107 B.C., the military became the de facto
political power as loyalty transferred from the Senate to the generals.
Theocracy
Modern Iran has a mixed
theocratic government where there is a supreme leader, president and several
councils, but the laws of the constitution and justice in the state are based
on Islamic law.
4.
Monarchy
Monarchy is not as common
as democracy now, but it was historically one of the most common forms of
government. In a monarchy, one family rules, and their title is passed down
through the generations. However, much like a democracy, who is in charge isn’t
totally cut and dried. In an absolute monarchy, the king or ruler is in control
of all the government. The more common constitutional monarchy has a royal
family, but they serve mostly as ceremonial figures. Examples of monarchies
that exist today include:
Constitutional
monarchy
In the United Kingdom,
Queen Elizabeth is the figurehead monarch, but parliament has most government
control.
Absolute
monarchy
Vatican City is not only
its own country, it's also a monarchy where one figure, the pope, rules as
sovereign.
5.
Totalitarian
When you think of a
totalitarian government, it takes absolute power to the extreme. These leaders
control not only the government but also the personal lives of their people.
Citizens have no say in government, and the totalitarian regime is 100% in
charge. This type of government is forceful and extreme and can come in the
form of fascism, socialism or communism.
In Nazi Germany, Adolf
Hitler used totalitarian tactics to achieve control over Germany with the goal
of extending his power across Europe. He used this for control over the people
as well as to justify the genocide of millions.
Leaders of the Soviet
Union like Vladimir Lenin and especially Joseph Stalin silenced opposition to
the state, going so far as to have political enemies imprisoned and even
killed. His actions resulted in the deaths of millions.
Benito Mussolini used
secret police to silence opposition to his regime in Fascist Italy.
Chairman Mao Zedong of
the People’s Republic of China led the country in the Great Leap Forward and
Cultural Revolution, which resulted in the collapse of the Chinese economy and
the deaths of up to 45 million people.
In modern times, North
Korea is a prime example of a totalitarian government because it is a one‐party communist dictatorship where
only one family, the Kims, hold the power.
Top Seven Types of Government Found Around the World & in History
While the top five might
be the types of governments you hear the most about, that list is far from complete.
You’ll find several different types of government that exist. Some of these
types fall into a larger category, while others are completely unique. Check
out other types of government seen around the world and through history.
1.
Dictatorship
Typically, a dictatorship
goes hand‐in‐hand with an authoritarian and
totalitarian government. In this government form, a dictator rules. They
typically assert their authority using military power, which is called a
military dictatorship. There have been many dictatorships throughout history.
Famous examples include Joseph Stalin’s rule of the Soviet Union, Saddam
Hussein’s rule of Iraq and North Korea.
2.
Anarchy
Anarchy is not a type of
government; it’s actually the absence of one. In an anarchist society, a
central governing body doesn’t exist. Many times, anarchy will take center
stage when a government collapses. There are currently no true anarchist
countries. The closest example in recent history was Somalia, which had no
government from 1991 to 2006, but today it is a federal parliamentary republic.
While anarchy has not
been implemented on a large scale in the modern world, there are communities
such as Freetown Christiania in Copenhagen, Denmark, which is one of the few
anarchist communities that are still functioning.
3.
Federalism
Federalism is all about
dividing power. Not only does the government have central power, but local
states or regions also have their own specific powers. For example, in the U.S.
the federal government is the central power, but the individual states all have
their own regional and state governing laws. This means state laws might be
different in California than they are in Tennessee.
4.
Republicanism
Many times, you see
“Republic of” this or that country. When something is a true republic as in
republicanism, it means the citizens have the power. They have the voting power
and the power to make changes in their government. Now, republicanism can get
quite confusing because it typically goes hand‐in‐hand with federalism and theocracy.
Some countries have a parliamentary system and thus a parliamentary republic
and countries with presidents are presidential republics. Germany is a notable
example of a republic, as it is specifically a federal, democratic,
constitutional republic. Some examples of republics include Austria, Chile, the
Czech Republic, Israel, Mexico, the Philippines, Uganda, and more.
5.
Aristocracy
In an aristocracy, the
wealthy or noble hold the power. These privileged few leaders make up the
ruling class or elite. Historically, Ancient Greece had an aristocratic
government. A modern example is the royal family in the U.K., which has an
aristocracy known as the peerage as well as a monarchy.
6.
Tribalism
Indigenous tribes around
the globe use a form of government called tribalism. In this form of
government, you follow the dictates and rules of your tribe, which is made of
specific people groups or those with the same ideals. There can be a council of
elders making decisions, but not always. Each tribe is unique. While tribalism
is becoming less and less common, tribes in Africa still use this form of
government.
7.
Theocracy
Types of governments are
about who rules. In a theocracy, the ruler is God or a deity. The creation of
laws comes from religious texts, scriptures and spiritual leaders. A theocracy
also mixes with other types of governments. For example, Iran is an Islamic
democracy, and the Vatican government is dictated by the Christian religion and
pope.
Top Three Economically Determined Types of Government
Economy determines
government type, too. See it in action by looking at capitalism, socialism and
communism.
1.
Capitalism
While capitalism is
actually a type of economy, many times, it works to drive a government and
political power. In capitalism, the government doesn’t run the economy;
instead, private‐
ownership corporations and businesses do. While the U.S. is a mixed economy,
many would consider it capitalistic. Other examples include Switzerland and
Hong Kong.
2.
Communism
China is probably one of
the most famous historical examples of a communist government. Communism is a
theory created by Karl Marx where everything is publicly owned rather than
privately like in capitalism. It’s an attempt to create a classless society,
but it typically happens through a violent revolution. Beyond China, communist
examples include the Soviet Union, Vietnam and Laos.
3.
Socialism
Socialism and communism
both come from the philosophies of Karl Marx for a utopian, classless society.
However, while communism uses violence to achieve its aims, socialism places
emphasis on making small changes through reforms and laws. Socialist government
examples found around the world include Algeria, Cuba, the Scandinavian
countries, Tanzania and Venezuela.
Different Types of Governments
There are many types of
governments, and often it is difficult to classify a country’s system as a
single, specific form of government. What form of government does your country
have? You can learn more about how governments work.
Aristotle was the first to define three principal types of government systems in the
fourth century B.C. These consisted of monarchy, aristocracy and polity.
Since then, many more have been formulated, but the main themes and ideas have
remained.
Today, the five most common government systems include
democracy, republic, monarchy, communism and dictatorship. This list
details what to know about each.
While these types of government systems all vary, they have at least one similarity: the allocation of power. Whether it be the allocation of power to a single person, a group of people, or evenly distributed to everyone, power is the shared theme of all types of government systems.
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