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| | ==Types of Government== | | ==Types of Government== |
| | + | Basic categories of government include: |
| | * [[Aristocracy]] | | * [[Aristocracy]] |
| | * [[Confederacy]] | | * [[Confederacy]] |
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| | * [[Plutocracy]] | | * [[Plutocracy]] |
| | * [[Socialist State]] | | * [[Socialist State]] |
| − | * [[Theocracy]] | + | |
| | + | According to the [[U.S.]] [[Central Intelligence Agency]], each of the world's governments can be described by one, or a combination of, the following: |
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| | + | *[[Absolute monarchy]] - a form of government where the monarch rules unhindered, i.e., without any laws, constitution, or legally organized oposition. |
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| | + | *[[Anarchy]] - a condition of lawlessness or political disorder brought about by the absence of governmental authority. |
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| | + | *[[Authoritarian]] - a form of government in which state authority is imposed onto many aspects of citizens' lives. |
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| | + | *[[Commonwealth]] - a nation, state, or other political entity founded on law and united by a compact of the people for the common good. |
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| | + | *[[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). |
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| | + | *[[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. |
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| | + | *[[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. |
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| | + | *[[Constitutional democracy]] - a form of government in which the sovereign power of the people is spelled out in a governing constitution. |
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| | + | *[[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. |
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| | + | *[[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. |
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| | + | *[[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. |
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| | + | *[[Dictatorship]] - a form of government in which a ruler or small clique wield absolute power (not restricted by a constitution or laws). |
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| | + | *[[Ecclesiastical]] - a government administrated by a church. |
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| | + | *[[Emirate]] - similar to a monarchy or sultanate, but 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. |
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| | + | *[[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. |
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| | + | *[[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. |
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| | + | *[[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. |
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| | + | *[[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. |
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| | + | *[[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 (workers) exploited by capitalists (business owners), to a socialist "dictatorship of the proletariat," to, finally, a classless society - Communism. |
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| | + | *[[Marxism-Leninism]] - an expanded form of communism developed by 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. |
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| | + | *[[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. |
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| | + | *[[Oligarchy]] - a government in which control is exercised by a small group of individuals whose authority generally is based on wealth or power. |
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| | + | *[[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. |
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| | + | *[[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. |
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| | + | *[[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). |
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| | + | *[[Republic]] - a representative democracy in which the people's elected deputies (representatives), not the people themselves, vote on legislation. |
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| | + | *[[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. |
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| | + | *[[Sultanate]] - similar to a monarchy, but 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. |
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| | + | *[[Theocracy]] - a form of government in which a Deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler, but the Deity's laws are interpreted by ecclesiastical authorities (bishops, mullahs, etc.); a government subject to religious authority. |
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| | + | *[[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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| | ==Action of government== | | ==Action of government== |