EJ

Forms of Government - Study Notes

What is a Government?

  • A government is the system or structure by which a state or community governs, or rules itself.
  • A government is made up of those people who have authority (power) over others.

Absolute Monarchy

  • Monarchy is rule by a king or queen.
  • If the king or queen has total power, it is known as an absolute monarchy.

Limited Monarchy

  • A government where the king or queen share power with nobles or a law-making group such as a parliament.
  • The monarch’s power is limited.

Dictatorship

  • A government under the rule of someone (not a king or queen) who has absolute authority.
  • They use violence and fear to keep order.

Oligarchy

  • A government in which a small group holds political power.
  • They are usually wealthy elites, family, or military leaders.

Theocracy

  • A government in which the ruler is both the religious and political leader.

Communism

  • A political and economic ideology focused on a classless society with common ownership.
  • The goal is to eliminate private property, social classes, money, and the state.

Democracy

  • A government where the citizens have political power. A government by the people, or the people, and for the people.
  • There are 2 types of democracy: Direct Democracies and Republics.

Direct Democracy

  • A government in which citizens participate directly in political decisions.
  • It only works with a small group of people.

Republic (representative democracy)

  • A government in which the power lies with the citizens who elect people to represent them.
  • The citizens rule indirectly through their representatives.
  • When direct democracies grow too large, they become representative democracies.

Stateless Society

  • Non-nomadic civilization that is not governed by any sort of centralized authority, but rather by kinship.
  • Disputes are typically resolved by meeting of elders.

Anarchy

  • Anarchy is the absence of government. No one rules or has power.
  • Anarchism isn’t simply “statelessness.” It’s its own ideology that is largely focused on decentralization and tearing down hierarchies.

Review: Autocracy

  • An autocracy is a government in which one person has all the power.
  • What are the two main types of autocracy? Monarchy; Dictatorship.

Review: Democracy

  • In a democracy, citizens hold the political power.
  • What are the two main types of democracies? Representative Democracy (republic); Direct Democracy.

Review: Who Rules?

  • NONE → Anarchy
  • ONE → Monarchy
  • FEW → Dictatorship
  • ALL → Oligarchy
  • Democracy
  • Direct Democracy
  • Where would you put theocracy on this chart? It would be placed under Representative Democracy.

Review: Authoritarianism vs Dictatorship

  • Authoritarianism: A general term for a political system with concentrated power, limited political participation, and suppression of dissent.
  • Dictatorship: A specific form of authoritarianism where a single person or a small group holds supreme authority, often without any legal or constitutional constraints.

Review: Key Relationship

  • In essence, every dictatorship is authoritarian, but not all authoritarian regimes are dictatorships.