According to Yale professor Juan José Linz there are three main types of political

systems today: democracies, totalitarian regimes and, sitting between these two, authoritarian
regimes with hybrid regimes. Another modern classification system includes monarchies as a standalone
entity or as a hybrid system of the main three. Scholars generally refer to a dictatorship as either a form
of authoritarianism or totalitarianism.

The ancient Greek philosopher Plato discusses in the Republic five types of
regimes: aristocracy, timocracy, oligarchy, democracy, and tyranny. The question raised by Plato in
the Republic: What kind of state is best? Generational changes informed by new political and cultural
beliefs, technological progress, values and morality over millenniums have resulted in considerable shifts
in the belief about the origination of political authority, who may participate in matters of state, how
people might participate, the determination of what is just, and so forth.

Basic forms of governments

Further information: Mixed government

Systems of government can be divided into two main categories,

democratic and non-democratic

Direct Democracy, Representative Democracy (Republic

Democratic Government, Parliamentary Government), Constitutional
monarchy

Non- Authoritarian, Totalitarian, Oligarchy, Technocracy, Theocr

Democratic acy, Dictatorship, Absolute monarchy

Other Types Communist, Colonialist, Aristocratic

Index of Forms of Government.

 Anarchy
 Aristocracy
 Authoritarianism
 Bureaucracy
 Capitalism
 Confederation
 Colonialism
 Communism
 Corporatocracy
 Democracy
 Electocracy
  Ergatocracy
 Fascism
 Federalism
 Feudalism
 Geniocracy
 Imperialism
 Kakistocracy
 Kleptocracy
 Logocracy
 Meritocracy
 Military Dictatorship
 Monarchy
 Oligarchy
 Plutocracy
 Republicanism
 Socialism
 Statism
 Technocracy
 Theocracy
 Totalitarianism
 Tribalism

Forms of government by regional

control
Term Definition Examples

Confederatio A confederation (also known as a confederacy or  Haudenosaune

n league) is a union of sovereign states, united for e Confederacy
 European
purposes of common action often in relation to other
Union
states. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of  Pre-
states are usually established for dealing with critical Constitution
issues, such as defense, foreign relations, internal trade United States
 The Old Swiss
or currency, with the general government being
Confederacy (c.
required to provide support for all its members. 1300–1798)
Confederation represents a main form of inter-  Serbia and
governmental-ism, this being defined as "any form of Montenegro (2003
–2006)
interaction between states which takes place on the
 Senegambia
basis of sovereign independence or government." Confederation (19
 Confederation is almost as a federation with the federal
government being as a combination or alliance of all 82–1989)
the states.

A unitary state is a state governed as a single power in  China

which the central government is ultimately supreme  Indonesia
 Philippines
and any administrative divisions (sub-national units)
 France
Unitary state exercise only the powers that the central government  Egypt
chooses to delegate. The majority of states in the world  United
have a unitary system of government. Of the 193 UN Kingdom
member states, 165 are governed as unitary states.  Peru

A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political

entity characterized by a union of partially self-
governing states or regions under a central (federal)
government. In a federation, the self-governing status
of the component states, as well as the division of
power between them and the central government, is
typically constitutionally entrenched and may not be
Federation
altered by a unilateral decision of either party, the
states or the federal political body. Alternatively,
federation is a form of government in which sovereign
power is formally divided between a central authority
and a number of constituent regions so that each
region retains some degree of control over its internal
affairs.

Forms of government by power

source
More information Term, Description ...

Term Description

Autocrac Autocracy is a system of government in which supreme power (social and political) is
y concentrated in the hands of one person or polity, whose decisions are subject to neither external
 legal restraints nor regularized mechanisms of popular control (except perhaps for the implicit
threat of a coup d'état or mass insurrection). Absolute monarchy (such as Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Brunei and Eswatini)
and dictatorships are the main modern-day forms of autocracy. In family dictatorships, political
power is passed down within one family because of the overwhelming authority of the leader. For
example, in Haiti a form of hereditary dictatorship was founded by François Duvalier (Papa
Doc); it operated much like an absolute monarchy, yet within a nominally republican state. In
1971, Jean-Claude Duvalier (Baby Doc) became Haiti's next dictator for life after his
father's death. Both totalitarian and military dictatorships are often identified with, but need not
be, an autocracy.

Oligarchy, meaning "rule of the few", is a form of power structure in which power rests with a
small number of people. These people might be distinguished by nobility, wealth, family
Oligarchy ties, education or corporate, religious or military control. Such states are often controlled
by families who typically pass their influence from one generation to the next,
but inheritance is not a necessary condition for the application of this term.

Democracy, meaning "rule of the people", is a system of government in which the citizens exercise
power directly or elect representatives from among themselves to form a governing body, such as
Democra a parliament. Democracy is sometimes referred to as "rule of the majority". Democracy is a
cy system of processing conflicts in which outcomes depend on what participants do, but no single
force controls what occurs and its outcomes. This does include citizens being able to vote for
different laws and leaders.

Sometimes said to be non-governance; it is a structure which strives for non-hierarchical, voluntary

associations among agents, emphasizing autonomy and decentralization, often
employing direct democracy or consensus democracy.

Systems resembling anarchism can be a natural, temporary result of civil

war in a country, when an established state has been destroyed and the
region is in a transitional period without definitive leadership. It has also
been proposed as a historical state of human society, especially before
Anarchy the concentration of power afforded by agriculture. It has been presented
as a viable long-term choice by individuals known as anarchists who
oppose the state and other forms of coercive hierarchies. These systems
are often highly organized, and include institutional or cultural systems
to prevent the concentration of power. Anarchism typically advocates for
social organization in non-hierarchical, voluntary associations where
people voluntarily help each other. There are a variety of forms of
anarchy that attempt to discourage the use of coercion, violence, force
and authority, while still producing a productive and desirable society.
Close

Types of democracy
Main article: Types of democracy

More information Term, Description ...

Term Description

Government in which the state is governed by randomly selected decision from a broadly
inclusive pool of eligible citizens. These groups, sometimes termed "policy juries", "citizens'
juries", or "consensus conferences", deliberately make decisions about public policies in much
the same way that juries decide criminal cases. Demarchy, in theory, could overcome some
of the functional problems of conventional representative democracy, which is widely
subject to manipulation by special interests and a division between professional
policymakers (politicians and lobbyists) vs. a largely passive, uninvolved and often uninformed
electorate. According to Australian philosopher John Burnheim, random selection of
Demarchy
policymakers would make it easier for everyday citizens to meaningfully participate, and
harder for special interests to corrupt the process.

More generally, random selection of decision makers from a larger

group is known as sortition (from the Latin base for lottery).
The Athenian democracy made much use of sortition, with nearly all
government offices filled by lottery (of full citizens) rather than by
election. Candidates were almost always male, Greek, educated
citizens holding a minimum of wealth and status.

It is the suffrage in which the right to vote is only restricted to a part of the population, being
in many cases wealthy men and white race. This was the case in almost all existing
Census democracies of the 18th and 19th centuries, although in the latter the right to vote was
democracy given to the working class and the lower middle class in countries like Great Britain,
later in the 20th century the universal suffrage with the advent of racial and female
voting rights.

Direct Government in which the people represent themselves and vote directly for new laws and
democracy public policy.

A form of representative democracy where citizens are able to vote for their
Electocracy government but cannot participate directly in governmental decision making. The
government has almost absolute power.

Herrenvolk A form of government in which only a specific ethnic group participates in government,
 while other ethnic groups are disenfranchised. Though elections may be free, voting suffrage
democracy is restricted based on race, with governance reflecting the interests of the politically dominant
racial group.

A form of government in which representative democracy operates under the

principles of liberalism. It is characterised by fair, free, and
competitive elections between multiple distinct political parties, a separation of
powers into different branches of government, the rule of law in everyday life as
part of an open society, and the protection of human rights and civil liberties for all
persons. To define the system in practice, liberal democracies often draw upon
a constitution, either formally written or uncodified, to delineate the powers of
Liberal government and enshrine the social contract. After a period of sustained expansion
democracy throughout the 20th century, liberal democracy became the predominant political system in
the world. A liberal democracy may take various constitutional forms: it may be a republic,
such as France, Germany, Pakistan, India, Ireland, Italy; or a constitutional
monarchy, such as the United Kingdom, Japan or Spain. It may have a presidential
system (Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, or the United States), a semi-presidential
system (France, or Portugal), a parliamentary
system (Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Italy, or New Zealand)
or directorial system.

Ex
Liquid Government in which the people represent themselves or choose to temporarily delegate
on
democracy their vote to another voter to vote for new laws and public policy.
pla

Representativ Wherein the people or citizens of a country elect representatives to create and implement
Alm
e democracy public policy in place of direct participation by the people.

Social Elements of direct and representative democracies are combined in a form of participatory
democracy democracy. It also adopts a mixed economy combining the principles of
a capitalist free-market and economic or social interventionism.

Social democracy rejects the "either/or" phobiocratic/polarization

interpretation of capitalism versus socialism. Social democracy
argues that all citizens should be legally entitled to certain social
rights. These are made up of universal access to public services such
as: education, health care, workers' compensation, public
transportation, and other services including child care and care for
the elderly. Social democracy is connected with the trade union
labour movement and supports collective bargaining rights for
workers. Contemporary social democracy advocates freedom from
discrimination based on differences of: ability/disability, age,
 ethnicity, sex, gender, language, race, religion, sexual orientation,
and social class.

The citizens are governed by directly elected councils. The councils are directly responsible to
Soviet their electors and are bound by their instructions. Such an imperative mandate is in contrast
democracy to a free mandate, in which the elected delegates are only responsible to their conscience.
Delegates may accordingly be dismissed from their post at any time or be voted out (recall).

A form of electocracy in which lawfully elected representatives maintain the integrity of a

Totalitarian
nation state whose citizens, while granted the right to vote, have little or no participation in
democracy
the decision-making process of the government.

A hybrid regime, in which democratic institutions are imitative and adhere to authoritarian
Electoral
methods. In these regimes, regular elections are held, but they fail to reach democratic
autocracy
standards of freedom and fairness.

The historical scaling problem and inherent inefficiencies of democracy may be resolved with
advances in technology, most especially the rise of the Internet. In a digital democracy,
Digital
specific questions would be formulated as referendums, and frequently put forth for public
democracy
discussion and comment and voting. Citizens could read the arguments, proffer their own,
and vote on the matter, using readily-available technologies like smartphones.

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Types of oligarchy
Oligarchies are societies controlled and organised by a small class of
privileged people, with no intervention from the most part of society; this
small elite is defined as sharing some common trait.
De jure democratic governments with a de facto oligarchy are ruled by a
small group of segregated, powerful or influential people who usually
share similar interests or family relations. These people may spread
power and elect candidates equally or not equally. An oligarchy is
different from a true democracy because very few people are given the
chance to change things. An oligarchy does not have to be hereditary or
monarchic. An oligarchy does not have one clear ruler but several rulers.
(Ancient Greek ὀλιγαρχία (oligarkhía) literally meant rule by few")
Some historical examples of oligarchy include the Roman Republic, in
which only males of the nobility could run for office and only wealthy
males could vote, and the Athenian democracy, which used sortition to
elect candidates, almost always male, Greek, educated citizens holding a
minimum of land, wealth and status. Some critics
of capitalism and/or representative democracy think of the United States
and the United Kingdom as oligarchies.
These categories are not exclusive.
More information Term, Definition ...

Term Definition

Aristocrac Rule by the nobility; a system of governance where political power is in the hands of a small class of priv
y birth than the rest of society.

Rule by the proletariat, the workers, or the working class. Examples of ergatocracy include communis
Ergatocracy
most of society and establish an alternative economy for people and workers. See Dictatorship of th

Geniocrac A term invented by the founder of Raëlism and meaning rule by the intelligent; a system of governanc
y intelligence and wisdom are required for those who wish to govern. Comparable to noocracy.

The joint rule of different regions retaining their individuality; a system of government consisting of man
Hamarchy
together.

Kraterocra Rule by the strong; a system of governance where those who are strong enough to seize power through
cy political cunning.

Rule by various judges, the kritarchs; a system of governance composed of law-enforcement institutio
systems are traditionally or constitutionally the same entity. The kritarchs, magistrates and other a
Kritarchy legislate and administer the enforcement of government laws in addition to the interposition of laws an
confused with "judiciary" or "judicial system".) Somalia, ruled by judges with the tradition of xe
Union, is a historical example.

Meritocrac Rule by the meritorious; a system of governance where groups are selected on the basis of their ability,
y contributions to society.

Rule by social connections; a term invented by the editorial board of the American technology magazine
portmanteau of "Internet" and "aristocracy", "netocracy" refers to a perceived global upper-class that b
Netocracy advantage and networking skills, in comparison to what is portrayed as a bourgeoisie of a gradually dim
concept has been compared with Richard Florida's concept of the creative class. Bard and Söde
in opposition to the netocracy, which they refer to as the "consumtariat".

Noocracy Rule by the wise; a system of governance in which decision making is in the hands of philosophers (as ad

Plutocracy Rule by the wealthy; a system wherein governance is indebted to, dependent upon or heavily influence
 influence can alter any form of government. For instance, if a significant number of elected representati
upon financial support from wealthy sources, it is a plutocratic republic.

Particracy Rule by a dominant political party (or parties).

Rule by military service; a system of governance composed of military government in which the state an
or constitutionally the same entity. Citizens with mandatory or voluntary active military service or w
Stratocrac
the right to govern. (Therefore, stratocracy is not to be confused with "military junta" or "military d
y
state is a historical example; its social system and constitution were completely focused on military tra
ideology often attaches to the honor-oriented timocracy.

Synarchis Rule by a secret élite; a form of government where political power effectively rests with a secret élite, in
m is or could be known by the public.

Rule by the educated or by technical experts; a system of governance where people who are skilled in t
decision-making. In a technocracy, experts in the technical details of specific issues are presumed to bes
Technocra well as how various technological redresses can improve the society at large. Doctors, engineers, scienti
cy have knowledge, expertise, or skills would compose the governing body instead of politicians, businessm
decision-makers would be selected based upon how knowledgeable and skilful they are in their field. Te
algorithmic governance by Silicon Valley engineers. This recent form of technocracy has been called 'dig

Rule by a religious elite; a system of governance composed of religious institutions in which the state an
or constitutionally the same entity. The Vatican (see Pope), Iran and Afghanistan (see Supre
Theocracy
other Islamic states are historically considered[citation needed] theocracies. Theocracy contrasts
government in which church and state form an alliance dominated by the secular power.

Rule by the honourable; a system of governance ruled by honorable citizens and property-owners. So
Timocracy government ruled by people who love honour and who are selected according to the degree of honour
timocracy is very similar to meritocracy, in the sense that individuals of outstanding character or facu

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Types of autocracy
Autocracies are ruled by a single entity with absolute power, whose
decisions are subject to neither external legal restraints nor regular
mechanisms of popular control (except perhaps for implicit threat). That
entity may be an individual, as in a dictatorship or it may be a group, as
in a one-party state. The word despotism means to "rule in the fashion of
despots" and is often used to describe autocracy.
Historical examples of autocracy include the Roman Empire, North Korea,
the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Eritrea and Nazi Germany.
More information Term, Definition ...

Term Definition

A dictatorship where power resides in the hands of one single person or polity. That person may be,
a dictator, but can also be an elected president. The Roman Republic made dictators to lead d
Civilian dictators only held power for a small time. In modern times, an autocrat's rule is one that is not stopp
dictatorship or other social and political institutions. After World War II, many governments in Latin America, Asia
governments. Examples of dictators include Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Adolf Hitler, Benito
dynasty of North Korea founded by Kim Il Sung.

A dictatorship primarily enforced by the military. Military dictators are different from civilian dicta
motivations for seizing power, the institutions through which they organize their rule, and the ways in
Military itself as saving the nation from the corrupt or myopic civilian politicians, a military dictatorship justifie
dictatorship basis of their membership within the armed forces. For example, many juntas adopt titles, such as "N
"Committee of National Restoration", or "National Liberation Committee". Military leaders often rule
head.

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Pejorative attributes
Regardless of the form of government, the actual governance may be
influenced by sectors with political power which are not part of the formal
government. These are terms that highlight certain actions of the
governors, such as corruption, demagoguery, or fear mongering that may
disrupt the intended way of working of the government if they are
widespread enough.
More information Term, Definition ...

Term Definition

A politically unstable and kleptocratic government that economically depends upon the exports of a
usually features a society composed of stratified social classes, such as a great, impoverished e
composed of the aristocracy of business, politics, and the military. In political science, the term b
dependent upon limited primary-sector productions, which is ruled by a plutocracy who exp
Banana
politico-economic oligarchy. In American literature, the term banana republic originally de
republic
Anchuria, a servile dictatorship that abetted, or supported for kickbacks, the exploitation of larg
banana cultivation. In U.S. politics, the term banana republic is a pejorative political descriptor co
Henry in Cabbages and Kings (1904), a book of thematically related short stories derived from
where he was hiding from U.S. law for bank embezzlement.

Bankocracy Rule by banks; a system of governance with excessive power or influence of banks and other financia
 can also refer to a form of government where financial institutions rule society.

Corporatocra Rule by corporations; a system of governance where an economic and political system is controlled b
cy use is generally pejorative. Examples include company rule in India, and the business voters for

Kakistocracy Rule by the worst; a system of government where the least-qualified citizens govern or dictate policie

Rule by thieves; a system of governance where its officials and the ruling class in general pursue pers
Kleptocracy expense of the wider population. In strict terms kleptocracy is not a form of government but a charac
behavior.

Rule by nephews; favouritism granted to relatives regardless of merit; a system of governance

relatives of those already in power, like a nephew (where the word comes from). In such governme
Nepotocracy
they are given positions of authority just because they know someone who already has authority. Po
accused of this.

Rule by the crowd; a system of governance where mob rule is government by mob or a mass of peop
authorities. As a pejorative for majoritarianism, it is akin to the Latin phrase mobile vulgus m
Ochlocracy English term "mob" was originally derived in the 1680s. Ochlocratic governments are often a democr
"tyranny of the majority" and the rule of passion over reason; such governments can be as opp
synonymous in meaning and usage to the modern, informal term "mobocracy".

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Other attributes
More information Term, Definition ...

Term Definition

Adhocracy Rule by a government based on relatively disorganized principles and institutions as compared to

Anocracy A regime type where power is not vested in public institutions (as in a normal democracy) but spre
constantly competing with each other for power. Examples of anocracies in Africa include the war
governments in samaya and Zimbabwe. Anocracies are situated midway between an autocr

The Polity IV dataset recognizes anocracy as a category. In that dataset,

middle between autocracies and democracies.
Often the word is defined more broadly. For example, a 2010 Internation
anocracies as "countries that are neither autocratic nor democratic, mos
transition between autocracy and democracy". Alert noted that the num
increased substantially since the end of the Cold War. Anocracy is not su
 political system to short-term shocks: it creates the promise but not yet
and effective political economy, and threatens members of the establish
vulnerable to disruption and armed violence.

Rule by a government based on small (usually family) unit with a semi-informal hierarchy, with str
Band society
strength of character) as leader.

Bureaucracy Rule by a system of governance with many bureaus, administrators, and petty officials.

Consociationali
Rule by a government based on consensus democracy.
sm

Military junta Rule by a committee of military leaders.

Rule by a government under the sovereignty of rational laws and civic right as opposed to one und
Nomocracy
a nomocracy, ultimate and final authority (sovereignty) exists in the law.

Rule by a computer, which decides based on computer code and efficient use of information. This
Cyberocracy
of ruling appears in the short story "The Machine Stops" by E. M. Forster.

Rule by algorithms used in diverse levels of bureaucracy, which is also known as algorithmic regula
Algocracy
algorithmic governance, algorithmic legal order of government by algorithm.

Isocracy A country where everyone has equal political power.

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Forms of government by power

ideology
More information Term, Definition ...

Term Definition

Monarc A monarchy is a form of government in which a group, generally a family representing a dynasty, em
hy identity and its head, the monarch, exercises the role of sovereignty. The actual power of the monarch
(crowned republic), to partial and restricted (constitutional monarchy), to completely autocratic (
monarch's post is inherited and lasts until death or abdication. In contrast, elective monarchies requ
have further variations as there are widely divergent structures and traditions defining monarchy. For exam
 only pedigrees are taken into account for eligibility of the next ruler, whereas many hereditary monarchies
religion, age, gender, mental capacity, etc. Occasionally this might create a situation of rival claimants who
election. There have been cases where the term of a monarch's reign is either fixed in years or continues
invasion being repulsed, for instance.

A republic (Latin: res publica) is a form of government in which the country is considered a "public
property of the rulers. The primary positions of power within a republic are not inherited, but are attaine
Republi the consent of the governed. Such leadership positions are therefore expected to fairly represent the
c under which the head of state is not a monarch. In American English, the definition of a republic can also
which elected individuals represent the citizen body, also known as a representative democracy (a d
power according to the rule of law (a constitutional republic).

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Types of monarchy
Countries with monarchy attributes are those where a family or group of
families (rarely another type of group), called the royalty, represents
national identity, with power traditionally assigned to one of its
individuals, called the monarch, who mostly rule kingdoms. The actual
role of the monarch and other members of royalty varies from purely
symbolical (crowned republic) to partial and restricted (constitutional
monarchy) to completely despotic (absolute monarchy). Traditionally and
in most cases, the post of the monarch is inherited, but there are
also elective monarchies where the monarch is elected.
More information Term, Definition ...

Term Definition

A traditional and historical system where the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as he
Absolute
government. Many nations of Europe during the Middle Ages were absolute monarchies. Mod
monarchy
countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Brunei and one African country, Eswatini.

Also called parliamentary monarchy, the monarch's powers are limited by law or by a formal const
Constitutional
of the head of state. Many modern developed countries, including the United
monarchy
Kingdom, Norway, Netherlands, Australia, Canada, Spain and Japan, are constitutional

A form of government where the monarch (and family) is an official ceremonial entity with no politi
Crowned
monarch are intended to represent the country and may perform speeches or attend an important
republic
to the people, but hold no actual power in decision-making, appointments, et cetera.

Elective A form of government where the monarch is elected, a modern example being the King of Camb
 monarchy Council of the Throne; Vatican City is also often considered a modern elective monarchy.

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Types of republic
Rule by a form of government in which the people, or some significant
portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where
offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. A common
simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of state
is not a monarch. Montesquieu included both democracies, where all the
people have a share in rule, and aristocracies or oligarchies, where only
some of the people rule, as republican forms of government.
These categories are not exclusive.
More information Term, Definition ...

Term Definition

Classical antiquity civilizations typically followed a republican model with a complex system of a
Classical
upon the idea of a "civic" sector—a representative sample of particular populations. In a classical re
republic
individuals who represent the citizenry (or more usually a limited sector thereof) and who rule in ac

Republics where the government's powers are limited by law or a formal constitution (an official
Constitutional and restrictions of a nation and its government), and in which the leaders are chosen by a vote amo
republic be passed which violate said constitution, unless the constitution itself is altered by law. This theore
from being subjected to the tyranny of the majority, or mob rule. Examples include India, S

Republics where the laws are ultimately decided by popular vote, whether by a body of elected repr
Democratic
there is no restriction on which laws are passed so long as they have majority support. Constitutiona
republic
obstacle to legislation.

Republics that are a federation of states or provinces, where there is a national (federal) law encom
Federal
each state or province is free to legislate and enforce its own laws and affairs so long as they do not
republic
include Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Germany, India, Mexico, Russia, Switzerland, Unite

Republics purporting to be governed in accordance with Islamic law. Islamic Republic of Iran, M
Islamic
Pakistan are self-described Islamic republics (as of 2022). Afghanistan, Federal Islamic Rep
republic
the Turkish Islamic Republic of East Turkestan were Islamic republics at one time but are

Parliamentary Republics, like India or Singapore, with an elected head of state, but where the head of state and
republic with the head of government retaining most executive powers, or a head of state akin to a head of g
 Presidential Republics with an elected head of state, where the head of state is also the head of the government
republic States, Mexico, Brazil, and Indonesia.

Republics that include countries like China and Vietnam that are de jure governed for and by th
People's
Republic is used to differentiate themselves from the earlier republic of their countries before the
republic
China.

A semi-presidential republic is a government system with power divided b

Semi- state and a prime minister as head of government, used in countries like
presidential The president, elected by the people, symbolizes national unity and foreig
republic minister is appointed by the president or elected by the parliament and ha
The term semi-presidential distinguishes this system from presidential an

Directorial A directorial republic is a government system with power divided among a

republic jointly exercise the powers of a head of state and/or a head of governmen

In the early Renaissance, a number of small, wealthy, trade-based city-sta

ideals, notably across Italy and the Baltic. In general, these mercantile rep
Merchant
Europe where feudal control by an absolutist monarchy was minimal or ab
republic
mercantile republics, the leaders were elected by the citizenry with the pr
city-state's collective wealth.

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Forms of government by socio-

economic attributes
By socio-economic attributes
Further information: Economic system

Many political systems can be described as socioeconomic ideologies.

Experience with those movements in power and the strong ties they may
have to particular forms of government can cause them to be considered
as forms of government in themselves.

These categories are not exclusive.

More information Term, Definition ...

Term Definition
 A system that advocates self-governed societies based on voluntary institutions. These are often d
although several authors have defined them more specifically as institutions based on non-hierarch
Anarchism others have advocated for stateless societies with the inclusion of private property, property righ
membership and association with those groups are entirely voluntary. Anarchism holds the state
harmful.

A system in which the means of production (machines, tools, factories, etc.) are owned by privat
with those individuals to use those means of production in exchange for a portion of what they produ
Capitalism
(money). The owners of the means of production are entitled to whatever portion of the produ
upon by the two parties.

A system in which a native group (or their lands and resources) is subjugated by an external political p
Colonialism
political benefit.

A socialist system in which the means of production are commonly owned (either by the people direc
Communism a communist state or society), and production is undertaken for use, rather than for profit. C
theory, stateless, classless, moneyless, — it is usually regarded as the "final form" of a socialist o

A system in which the laws and resources of a nation are controlled by one individual, usually a mon
Despotism political power. Examples include the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, the Roman emperors and
Leaders.

A variant of capitalism which views widespread property ownership as fundamental right; the mea
as possible rather than being centralized under the control of the state (as in state socialism), or a
Distributism proponents of distributism call "crony capitalism") Distributism fundamentally opposes socialis
view as equally flawed and exploitative. In contrast, distributism seeks to subordinate economic activ
spiritual life, our intellectual life, our family life".

A system of land ownership and duties common to medieval Europe. Under feudalism, all the lan
However, the king would give some of the land to the lords or nobles who fought for him. These pres
the nobles gave some of their land to vassals. The vassals then had to do duties for the nobles. The la
Feudalism
A similar system is the Iqta‘, used by medieval Islamic societies of the midd
functioned much like the feudal system but generally had titles that weren
but to individuals at the behest of the sultan and generally only required a
instead of military service and/or manual labour like in the feudal system.

Minarchism A variant of capitalism which advocates for the state to exist solely to provide a very small numbe
State proposed by minarchists is known as the night-watchman state, in which the only governm
 from aggression, theft, breach of contract, and fraud as defined by property laws, limitin
the police, and courts.

A system in which the government is headed by an agreed upon head of the nobility who is known
a king or emperor (but also less commonly a queen or empress). In most monarchical systems th
Monarchism
one inherited from a previous ruler by bloodline or marriage, but in other cases it may be a positi
as was the case in the ancient Roman Kingdom and the medieval Holy Roman Empire.

A system in which the laws and governmental policies of the state are considered a "public matter" a
Republicanis
whoever they may be. Most modern nation-states are examples of republics, but other examples incl
m
ancient Rome and Athens.

A system in which workers, democratically and/or socially own the means of production
be decentralized and self-managed in autonomous economic units, as in libertarian systems
Socialism
in authoritarian systems. Public services such as healthcare and education would be com
owned.

A system in which opposition is prohibited, civil rights are extremely suppressed and virtually all aspe
Totalitarianis morals, public and private lives of citizens, are controlled by a centralized authoritarian state that
m under a dictatorship or single political party. Five examples are the Soviet Union (1927-5
of Afghanistan, Eritrea and North Korea.

Tribalism A system based on a small complex society of varying degrees of centralisation that is led by an indivi

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Types of government by geo-cultural attributes

Governments can also be categorized based on their size and scope of
influence:

More information Term, Definition ...

Term Definition

National The government of a nation-state and is a characteristic of a unitary state. This is the
government government which may have distinct powers at various levels authorized or delegated to i
adjective 'central' is sometimes used to describe it. The structure of central governments var
autonomous regions by delegating powers from the central government to governments at a
state or local level. Based on a broad definition of a basic political system, there are two or m
within an established territory and govern through common institutions with overlapping or
 a constitution or other law.

A sovereign state, also described as a type of small independent country, that usually con
territories. Historically, this included cities such as Rome, Athens, Carthage, and the Ita
City-state the Renaissance. Today only a handful of sovereign city-states exist, with some disagreem
deal of consensus exists that the term properly applies currently to Singapore, Monaco, a
sometimes called micro-states which however also includes other configurations of very s

From the Medieval Latin communia. An intentional community of people living tog
Commune having common values and beliefs, as well as shared property, possessions, resources, an
communes, work, income or assets.

Also known as international governmental organizations (IGOs): the type of organization mos
'international organization', these are organizations that are made up primarily of sovereig
Intergovernmental states). Notable examples include the United Nations (UN), Organisation of Islamic
organisations Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Council of Europe (COE), Internati
and International Police Organization (INTERPOL). The UN has used the term "intergo
"international organization" for clarity.

The notion of a common political authority for all of humanity, yielding a global governm
World government exercises authority over the entire Earth. Such a government could come into existence e
compulsory world domination or through peaceful and voluntary supranational union

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Forms of government by other

attributes
By significant constitutional attributes
Certain major characteristics are defining of certain types; others are
historically associated with certain types of government.

 Civilian control of the military vs. stratocracy

 Majority rule or parliamentary sovereignty vs. bill of
rights or arbitrary rules with separation of
powers and supermajority rules to prevent tyranny of the
majority and protect minority rights
 Rule according to higher law (unwritten ethical principles) vs.
written constitutionalism
  Separation of church and state or free church vs. state religion
 Totalitarianism or authoritarianism vs. libertarianism

By approach to regional autonomy

This list focuses on differing approaches that political systems take to the
distribution of sovereignty, and the autonomy of regions within the state.
 Sovereignty located exclusively at the centre of political jurisdiction

o Empire
 Sovereignty located at the centre and in peripheral areas
o Federal monarchy
o Hegemony
 Diverging degrees of sovereignty
o Alliance
o Asymmetrical federalism
o Chartered company
o Client state
 Associated state
 Dependent territory
 Protectorate
 Puppet state
 Satellite state
 Vassal state
o Colony
 Crown colony
o Commonwealth
o Corpus separatum
o Decentralisation and devolution (powers redistributed from
central to regional or local governments)
o Federacy
o Junta
o Mandate
o Military frontier
o Neutral zone
o Non-self-governing territories
o Occupied territory
o Provisional government
o Thalassocracy
o Unrecognized state
 Government in exile
 Micronation
 Separatist movement
 States with limited recognition
 Theoretical and speculative attributes
These have no conclusive historical or current examples outside of
speculation and scholarly debate.

More information Term, Definition ...

Term Definition

Theoretical form of government occasionally hypothesised in works of science fiction, though some
historical nations such as medieval Florence might be said to have been governed as corporate republics. The
colonial megacorporations such as the Dutch East India Company should possibly be considered
corporate states, being semi-sovereign with the power to wage war and establish colonies.

While retaining some semblance of republican government, a corporate republic

would be run primarily like a business, involving a board of
directors and executives. Utilities, including hospitals, schools, the military, and
Corporate the police force, would be privatised. The social welfare function carried out by the
republic state is instead carried out by corporations in the form of benefits to employees.
Although corporate republics do not exist officially in the modern world, they are
often used in works of fiction or political commentary as a warning of the
perceived dangers of unbridled capitalism. In such works, they usually arise when
a single, vastly powerful corporation deposes a weak government, over time or in
a coup d'état.
Some political scientists have also considered state socialist nations to be forms of
corporate republics, with the state assuming full control of all economic and
political life and establishing a monopoly on everything within national boundaries
– effectively making the state itself amount to a giant corporation.

Rule by a collective consciousness of all human minds connected via some form of technological telepathy
Collective acting as a form of supercomputer to make decisions based on shared patterned experiences to deliver fair and
consciousne accurate decisions to problems as they arrive. Also known as the hive mind principle, it differs from voting in
ss that each person would make a decision while in the hive—the synapses of all minds work together following a
longer path of memories to make one decision. See technological singularity.

Secret A secret society (cryptocracy, secret government, shadow government, or invisible government) is a club or
society organization whose activities, events, inner functioning, or membership are concealed. As a form of
government, secret societies are a theoretical government in which real and actual political power resides with
private individuals who make decisions behind the scenes, while publicly elected representatives serve as
puppets or scapegoats.

Probably the most infamous secret society is the Illuminati, who had in their
general statutes, "The order of the day is to put an end to the machinations of the
purveyors of injustice, to control them without dominating them." Secret societies
are illegal in several countries, including Italy and Poland, who ban secret political
 parties and political organizations in their constitutions.
Secret societies are often portrayed in fiction settings. Some examples from
popular culture include:
 The Order of the Phoenix in the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
 HYDRA, in the Marvel Universe
 The Bene Gesserit and Bene Tleilax from Frank Herbert's Dune

Rule by a government with the highest authority composed entirely or primarily of magicians, sages,
sorcerers, wizards, witches, or some other magic users. A magocracy consists of a ruling class that uses magic as
a centerpiece of their political power. Magocracies can exist as a government of mages ruling over other mages,
or as mages ruling over non-magical persons.
Magocracy Magocracies are portrayed primarily in fiction and fantasy settings. Some
examples from popular culture include:
 The Jedi Council from Star Wars
 The Aes Sedai of the Wheel of Time series
 The Brotherhood of Sorcerers in the Witcher series, which is also a secret society

Rule by specialist AI experts in a given domain. AI technocrats are assumed to have two major advantages
over human technocrats: fairness and comprehensiveness. All forms of human government are seen as
inherently flawed, due to the emotional nature of humankind. Synthetic technocracy bills itself as dispassionate
Synthetic
and rational, free of the strife of political parties and factions as it pursues its optimal ends. Following in the
Technocrac
tradition of other meritocracy theories, synthetic technocrats assume full state control over political and
y
economic issues.

Synthetic technocracy is portrayed primarily in science fiction settings. Examples

from popular culture include Gaia in Appleseed
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See also
 List of countries by system of government
 List of political ideologies
 List of political systems in France
 Project Cybersyn, a data fed group of secluded individuals in Chile in
the 1970s that regulated aspects of public and private life using
data feeds and technology having no interactivity with the citizens
but using facts only to decide direction.