Political scientists refer to regimes using many different terms. Which term
political scientists use often depends on two factors: the number of people with
political power and the amount of power the government itself exerts.
The chart below organizes regimes by the number of people who hold political
power.
REGIMES AND NUMBER OF PEOPLE WITH POWER
|
Type of Regime
|
Number of People Who Hold Power
|
Example
|
| Monarchy | One | Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Brunei, medieval
England |
| Dictatorship | One | Libya, Cuba, North Korea, Nazi Germany |
| Aristocracy | A few (usually a small ruling class) | Ancient Sparta |
| Oligarchy | A few (usually a small group of wealthy
individuals) | Renaissance Venice |
| Democracy | Many or all | United States, ancient Athens |
A wide variety of regime types exist. For example, the United Kingdom has a
constitutional monarchy, in which Queen Elizabeth holds a limited amount of power.
Theoretically, the queen is the English head of state, but over time the English
monarchy has become largely ceremonial. Real governmental power now rests with the
Parliament, the legislative, lawmaking body. In contrast, the Third Reich of World
War II was a totalitarian dictatorship. Adolf Hitler controlled the government and
the citizens of Nazi Germany.
The chart on the next page organizes regimes by the amount of power the
government possesses. M
Regimes and Amount of Government Power
|
Type of Regime
|
Amount of Governmental Power
|
Example
|
| Totalitarian | Absolute power; controls every aspect of its citizens’ lives | Soviet Union, North Korea, Nazi Germany |
| Autocratic | Less powerful than a totalitarian regime but still controls
most aspects of its citizens’ lives; often associated with a single
ruler; often arbitrary | Iraq before the 2003 American invasion |
| Authoritarian | Less power than totalitarian regime but still controls most
aspects of its citizens’ lives; often outlasts its
rulers | China, Egypt |
| Constitutional | Limited by specific rules, such as the citizens’ right to
free speech or freedom of religion | United States, United Kingdom, Germany,
Japan |
| Anarchist | No power, or simply no government; can occur when a
government loses its power | Somalia |
Democracies
The word democracy comes from the Greek words
demos, which means “the people,” and
cracy, which means “rule by.” Today, we call a regime a
democracy when many or all of its people share political power.
There are two types of democracies:
-
Direct democracy: Citizens make all the decisions. They
gather frequently to vote on laws, regulations, and appointments. There are
no elected representatives. Direct democracy was common in ancient Greece;
today, it exists at a local level in town hall meetings held throughout the
United States.
-
Representative democracy: Citizens elect officials to act
on their behalf. If the officeholders disappoint or anger them, the citizens
can choose new officials at the next election. A regime that runs by
representative democracy is known as a republic. In a republic,
citizens hold the power. There are two major types of representative
democracies:
-
Parliamentary democracy:
Citizens elect officials to act as legislators. The legislature then
elects the executive (frequently called the prime
minister) from its members
Example: Many European democracies
use a parliamentary system. One advantage of this type of democracy
is its ability to quickly respond to public opinion. If the prime
minister loses the confidence of voters, new elections can be held
immediately. But parliamentary governments can be unstable. Perhaps
the classic example is Italy, which changed governments about once a
year for fifty years following World War II.
-
Presidential
democracy: Citizens elect the legislators and executive
separately. No one can be both a legislator and the executive at the
same time.
Example: The United
States is a presidential democracy. Although a presidential system
can be slow to respond to changes in public opinion, it is likely to
be more stable than a parliamentary system.
Strengths and weaknesses of democracies
|
Direct Democracy
|
Representative Democracy
|
| Strengths | Most purely democratic form of government because the
people literally rule | Can take place in a much larger country; grants citizens
much more time to pursue private interests |
| Weaknesses | Difficult to form except in small communities; demands
constant attention from its citizens | Can be slow to respond to public opinion; sometimes
defies public opinion |
Key Features of a Democracy
All democracies, in theory, should provide four basic things:
-
Security: Like all governments, a democracy should
protect its citizens from danger and threats, both national and abroad.
-
Liberty: A democracy bestows on its citizens the
right to do certain things without interference. The most common
liberties are freedom of speech, thought, religion, and assembly. Most
democratic governments are limited—that is, there are
fundamental rights that the government cannot take from its citizens.
-
Political equality: All citizens should be treated
the same way. Each person gets one vote in elections, and the law is the
same for all people.
-
Popular sovereignty: In a democracy, supreme power
rests with the people. The people choose their government, and the
people can change the government when they see fit. In return, the
government should do what the people want.
In reality, these features do not always fit together well, and
democracies must work to create a balance. But the balance changes as the
people decide they want to emphasize one feature over another. Sometimes
strengthening one feature causes another feature to decrease or to
disappear.
