ap comp gov types of regimes

democracy

democracy

a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.

republic

a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch

presidential

a system of government in which the president is constitutionally independent of the legislature and judiciary

parliamentary

a system of government where the power lies within the legislative body (parliament) that is elected by the people and where the executive (ex. prime minister) comes from said legislature (not directly voted by people)

authoritarian

system characterized by the rejection of political plurality, the use of strong central power to preserve the political status quo, and reductions in the rule of law, separation of powers, and democratic voting (gov. basically has total control over its citizen's POLITICAL lives)

totalitarian

form of government that attempts to assert total control over the lives of its citizens (total control over ALL aspects of citizen's lives unlike authoritarian)

theocracy

government ran by religious leaders (religion rules)

dictatorship

form of government where one person or a small group possesses absolute power without effective constitutional limitations

oligarchy

government where a small group of people has control over a country, organization, or institution

military coup

an illegal and overt attempt by the military or other government elites to overthrow the existing government

socialism

apolitical and economic theory that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole

monarchy

government based on the undivided sovereignty or rule of a single person (a monarch); can be parliamentary (ex. the UK) or absolute (ex. Saudi Arabia)

semi-authoritarian/semi-democratic

refers to a state or regime that shares both democratic and authoritarian features