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Forms of Government

The document defines and describes various forms of government, including absolute monarchy, anarchy, authoritarian, commonwealth, communist, confederacy, constitutional, constitutional democracy, constitutional monarchy, democracy, democratic republic, dictatorship, ecclesiastical, emirate, federal, federal republic, Islamic republic, Maoism, Marxism, Marxism-Leninism, monarchy, oligarchy, parliamentary democracy, parliamentary government, parliamentary monarchy, presidential, republic, socialism, sultanate, theocracy, and totalitarian.

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50 views

Forms of Government

The document defines and describes various forms of government, including absolute monarchy, anarchy, authoritarian, commonwealth, communist, confederacy, constitutional, constitutional democracy, constitutional monarchy, democracy, democratic republic, dictatorship, ecclesiastical, emirate, federal, federal republic, Islamic republic, Maoism, Marxism, Marxism-Leninism, monarchy, oligarchy, parliamentary democracy, parliamentary government, parliamentary monarchy, presidential, republic, socialism, sultanate, theocracy, and totalitarian.

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The -isms: Various Forms of Government

Here's a rundown of the various forms of government, with definitions provided by "The World Factbook."

Absolute monarchy - a form of government where the monarch rules unhindered, i.e., without any laws, constitution
or legally organized opposition.

Anarchy - a condition of lawlessness or political disorder brought about by the absence of governmental authority.

Authoritarian - a form of government in which state authority is imposed onto many aspects of citizens' lives.

Commonwealth - a nation, state or other political entity founded on law and united by a compact of the people for
the common good.

Communist - a system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single -- often
authoritarian -- party holds power; state controls are imposed with the elimination of private ownership of property or
capital while claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the
people (i.e., a classless society).

Confederacy (Confederation) - a union by compact or treaty between states, provinces or territories that creates a
central government with limited powers; the constituent entities retain supreme authority over all matters except
those delegated to the central government.

Constitutional - a government by or operating under an authoritative document (constitution) that sets forth the
system of fundamental laws and principles that determines the nature, functions and limits of that government.

Constitutional democracy - a form of government in which the sovereign power of the people is spelled out in a
governing constitution.

Constitutional monarchy - a system of government in which a monarch is guided by a constitution whereby his/her
rights, duties, and responsibilities are spelled out in written law or by custom.

Democracy - a form of government in which the supreme power is retained by the people, but which is usually
exercised indirectly through a system of representation and delegated authority periodically renewed.

Democratic republic - a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote for officers and
representatives responsible to them.

Dictatorship - a form of government in which a ruler or small clique wield absolute power (not restricted by a
constitution or laws).

Ecclesiastical - a government administrated by a church.

Emirate - similar to a monarchy or sultanate, a government in which the supreme power is in the hands of an emir
(the ruler of a Muslim state); the emir may be an absolute overlord or a sovereign with constitutionally limited
authority.

Federal (Federation) - a form of government in which sovereign power is formally divided -- usually by means of a
constitution -- between a central authority and a number of constituent regions (states, colonies or provinces) so that
each region retains some management of its internal affairs; differs from a confederacy in that the central
government exerts influence directly upon both individuals as well as upon the regional units.

Federal republic - a state in which the powers of the central government are restricted and in which the component
parts (states, colonies, or provinces) retain a degree of self-government; ultimate sovereign power rests with the
voters who chose their governmental representatives.

Islamic republic - a particular form of government adopted by some Muslim states; although such a state is, in theory,
a theocracy, it remains a republic, but its laws are required to be compatible with the laws of Islam.

Maoism - the theory and practice of Marxism-Leninism developed in China by Mao Zedong (Mao Tse-tung), which
states that a continuous revolution is necessary if the leaders of a communist state are to keep in touch with the
people.

Marxism - the political, economic and social principles espoused by 19th century economist Karl Marx; he viewed the
struggle of workers as a progression of historical forces that would proceed from a class struggle of the proletariat

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(workers) exploited by capitalists (business owners), to a socialist "dictatorship of the proletariat," to, finally, a classless
society -- Communism.

Marxism-Leninism - an expanded form of communism developed by Vladimir Lenin from doctrines of Karl Marx; Lenin
saw imperialism as the final stage of capitalism and shifted the focus of workers' struggle from developed to
underdeveloped countries.

Monarchy - a government in which the supreme power is lodged in the hands of a monarch who reigns over a state
or territory, usually for life and by hereditary right; the monarch may be either a sole absolute ruler or a sovereign -
such as a king, queen or prince - with constitutionally limited authority.

Oligarchy - a government in which control is exercised by a small group of individuals whose authority generally is
based on wealth or power.

Parliamentary democracy - a political system in which the legislature (parliament) selects the government - a prime
minister, premier or chancellor along with the cabinet ministers - according to party strength as expressed in
elections; by this system, the government acquires a dual responsibility: to the people as well as to the parliament.

Parliamentary government (Cabinet-Parliamentary government) - a government in which members of an executive


branch (the cabinet and its leader - a prime minister, premier or chancellor) are nominated to their positions by a
legislature or parliament, and are directly responsible to it; this type of government can be dissolved at will by the
parliament (legislature) by means of a no-confidence vote or the leader of the cabinet may dissolve the parliament
if it can no longer function.

Parliamentary monarchy - a state headed by a monarch who is not actively involved in policy formation or
implementation (i.e., the exercise of sovereign powers by a monarch in a ceremonial capacity); true governmental
leadership is carried out by a cabinet and its head - a prime minister, premier or chancellor - who are drawn from a
legislature (parliament).

Presidential - a system of government where the executive branch exists separately from a legislature (to which it is
generally not accountable).

Republic - a representative democracy in which the people's elected deputies (representatives), not the people
themselves, vote on legislation.

Socialism - a government in which the means of planning, producing and distributing goods is controlled by a central
government that theoretically seeks a more just and equitable distribution of property and labor; in actuality, most
socialist governments have ended up being no more than dictatorships over workers by a ruling elite.

Sultanate - similar to a monarchy, a government in which the supreme power is in the hands of a sultan (the head of
a Muslim state); the sultan may be an absolute ruler or a sovereign with constitutionally limited authority.

Theocracy - a form of government in which a Deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler, the Deity's laws are
interpreted by ecclesiastical authorities (bishops, mullahs, etc.); a government subject to religious authority.

Totalitarian - a government that seeks to subordinate the individual to the state by controlling not only all political
and economic matters, but also the attitudes, values and beliefs of its population.

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