Week 4: Classification of Governments Political Ideologies

Monarchy

A form of government in which supreme and final authority is in the hands of a single person.

Limited Monarchy

A government in which the ruler rules in accordance with the constitution.

Absolute Monarchy

A government in which the ruler rules by divine right.

Tyranny

An autocratic form of rule in which one individual exercises power without any legal restraint.

Dictatorship

An authoritarian type of government where there is absolute control by one person.

Aristocracy

a form of government in which political power is exercised by a few privileged classes, which are known as the aristocracy or oligarchy.

Democracy

a government in which political power is exercised by a majority of the people.

Direct/Pure Democracy

A government in which the will of the state is formulated or expressed directly and immediately through the people in a mass meeting or primary assembly.

Indirect/ Republican

a government in which the will of the state is formulated and expressed through a relatively small and select body of persons chosen by the people to act as their representatives.

Unitary Government

A government in which the control of national and local affairs is exercised by the central or national government.

Federal Government

A government in which the powers of government are divided between the national and local governments.

Parliamentary Government

A government in which the state confers upon the legislature the power to terminate the tenure of the real executive.

Presidential Government

A government in which the state makes the executive constitutionally independent of the legislature as regards tenure to a large extent. The executive branch is led by a president who serves as both head of state and head of government. In such system, this branch exists separately from the legislature, for which it is not responsible and which it cannot, in normal circumstances , dismiss.

Ideology

It is a comprehensive set of normative beliefs, conscious and unconscious ideas, that an individual, group, or society has.

It can be proposed by the dominant class of society, such as the elite, to all members of society.

Left-wing ideology

Typically champions ideals of equality, social justice, and responsibility, government collective advocating intervention for to address societal inequalities and to provide public services.

Right-wing Ideology

Primarily champions social conservatism, limited government, and free market economics, asserting the importance of personal responsibility and traditional values.

Political Ideologies

• Communism

• Socialism

• Liberalism

• Conservatism

• Fascism

Communism

the central plan economy is the dominant mode of production. This means that the means of production are owned and controlled by the state, rather than by individual capitalists.

• _____ there is no central government.

• ________ it is one in which the means of production are owned by the community as a whole and the distribution of goods and services is based on need rather than profit.

• It is also an egalitarian society in which there is no place for inequality.

• There is no such thing as private property. The state owns all property and the means of production and controls the economy.

• The state centralized economic planning and decision-making.

Socialism

An economic system in which the factors of production are valued in relation to their usefulness to people.

• Take into account both individual needs and greater social needs.

• they allocate resources using central planning as in a command economy.

• everyone in society recives a share of the production based on how much they have contributed, and the system motivates them to work long hours if they want to receive more.

• Human beings are social by nature, and society should respect this,

• The government plans the economy there is no free market

• all citizen have roughly the same level of prosperity,

Liberalism

a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise.

• Individuals take priority over society.

• Individuals have the right to make choices for themselves.

• No person is morally or politically superior to others. Hierarchies are rejected.

• Humans are capable of thinking logically and rationally. Logic and reason helps to solve problems.

• Traditions should not be kept unless they have value. New ideas are helpful because they can lead to progress in the sciences, the economy, and society.

• __________and capitalism go hand in hand.

• _____________ like the free market because it easily creates more wealth

Conservatism

is a political ideology or doctrine that emphasizes the value of traditional institutions and practices. It is a preference for the historically inherited rather than the abstract and ideal.

• Stability is a precious thing, and change must be made gradually in order to preserve it. Undermining stability is very dangerous because societies can easily fall into chaos and violence.

• Liberalism is too abstract. It focuses on freedom and equality, not on the concrete way people live every day, which is the focus of ________

• Humans are frequently ignorant, prejudiced, and irrational.

• There is no universal answer to the problems of society; the circumstances are unique in each country.

Fascism

A way of organizing a society in which a government ruled by a dictator controls the lives of the people and in which people are not allowed to disagree with the government.

• _____________regimes are characterized by a strong central authority led by a single charismatic leader who holds significant power and often seeks to concentrate power in their hands.

• Individual freedoms and civil liberties are often restricted in the name of national unity and strength.

• ____________ regimes cultivate images of their leaders as great figures to be loved and admired, often through mass media and propaganda.

• _____________governments are anti-democratic, leave little room for dissent, and strive to centralize power.

• This ideology stands in contrast to liberal democracies.

James Monroe

According to him, The best form of government is that which is most likely to prevent the greatest sum of evil.