BY HAMILTON HANSON
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, totalitarian and dictatorship. The list below details what to know about eight recognized, separate systems of governance.
Democracy: is a government that is run by the people who live under it. In a democracy, the people rule directly through meetings that all may attend, such as annual New England town meetings. Democracy denotes direct participation in governmental affairs. Nowhere in the US national government do the citizens have authority/access to vote on the daily operations of the entity. New England Town Meeting Days in March of each year are set aside by state Constitutions to transact all local government business. It is a truly marvelous experience to be able to influence activities of governance.
Republic: is a situation where the power rests with the people, in that the people elect their representatives, instead of the leader being appointed or inheriting power. A republic is an elected government system without a monarch.
Monarchy: was formerly a nation wherein state power was held by a single family that inherited rule from one generation to the next. In a monarchy, an individual from the royal family holds the position of power until they die. Today, the majority of monarchy governments have transitioned to constitutional monarchies, where the monarch is head of state but only performs ceremonial roles and does not have state power.
Totalitarian: describes a system of government that is centralized and requires complete subservience to the state.
Dictatorship: is a system of one-person rule, where a dictator has absolute power over the state. Aspects often include military organizational backing, rigged elections and various human rights violations. A dictator does not usually inherit their power like a monarch does; they either seize control of the state by force or through manipulated elections. Dictators are not held accountable for their actions and thus are free to do as they please.
Oligarchy: is a corrupted form of aristocracy/democracy where there is rule by a few, but not by the best. This form is seen in communism, utopia, etc., where one group of people is in complete legislative control.
Anarchy: a state of disorder due to absence or nonrecognition of authority or other controlling systems.
Federalism: is a mode of government that combines a general government (the central or “federal” government) with regional governments (provinces/states) in a single political system, dividing the powers between the two.
From these definitions, it should be easy to read the Constitution and compare our form of governance with the descriptions above and know quickly which form the United States represents.
For copies of the Constitution, email [email protected]
