September 17th

Different Types of Government
*There are many different ways in which States are governed in the world today; there are however only 4 major types of government in the world.

-Autocracy: An autocracy is a government in which only one person rules. There are three types of autocracies.

*Absolute Monarchy: this form of autocracy features a
government that is controlled exclusively by one person who
is of royal blood. Absolute Monarchs can be kings, queens,
princes, princesses, emperors, sultans, czars, etc. Examples
of nations with absolute monarchies are Jordan, and Monaco.

*Dictatorship: this form of autocracy features a government
that is controlled exclusively by one person who usually
seizes power from a pre-existing government. Examples of
dictators are Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, and Fidel Castro.

*Theocratic Autocracy: this form of autocracy features a
government that is controlled exclusively by one person who
happens to be the highest ranking religious leader in the
State. An example of a theocratic autocracy is Vatican City
where the pope is the absolute ruler.

-Constitutional Monarchy: A constitutional monarchy is a form of government that features one ruler, such as a king or queen, whose power is limited by a constitution. In most modern constitutional monarchies the monarch has only ceremonial powers and duties and serves mostly as a figurehead. Examples of constitutional monarchies include Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Japan.

-Oligarchy: An oligarchy is a government in which a small group of people rule. These ruling people are often high ranking members of a political party, high ranking officers in the military, the wealthiest citizens of the State, high ranking religious leaders, or members of a royal family. Examples of oligarchies include China where the Communist Party rules, and Saudi Arabia where the Saud family rules.
-Democracy: A democracy is any type government in which the power of the government lies in the hands of the people. The word democracy comes from two ancient Greek words; demos meaning people, and cratia meaning rule. There are two ways that a democracy can be practiced.
*Direct Democracy: A direct democracy is a democracy that
allows all the citizens of a State to participate in every level
of government. The citizens in a direct democracy would
have an equal vote in deciding every issue in the State.
Direct democracies are extremely rare and can only exist on
very small levels.

*Representative Democracy: A representative democracy, or
a republic as it’s also called, is a type of government that
allows the citizens of a State to choose leaders to represent them in the government. The citizens choose these representatives in elections that occur on a scheduled basis. The best example of a representative democracy is the United States of America.

Key Characteristics of Democracy
*In order for a democracy to exist and be successful, four key characteristics should be present.
1. Individual Liberty
2. Majority Rule as long as minority rights are legally preserved.
3. Free Elections that take place on a scheduled basis.
4. Competing political parties that are legally allowed to have differing opinions.