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1b. Types of GovernmentLouis XIV, the King of France from 1643 until 1715, is the definition of an absolute monarch. His famous phrase, "I am the State," is an illustration of the power he wielded in France. Louis ruled through a mixture of fear and admiration, but in every case the law extended from himself. "Off with his head!" This is a favorite story line to show how cruel a king (or a sultan or emperor) can be. The rules in this type of government are pretty clear. Whatever the ruler says, goes. Of course, many people have had different ideas about how the ruler should govern, and those beliefs support totally different types of government. The rules shape the government's legitimacy, or the degree to which the people accept the authority of the government. Rule by ManCountries whose citizens are governed by the absolute decisions of the ruler have not necessarily been unhappy. A government whose king or queen rules justly and wisely may enjoy a great deal of legitimacy as long as the ruler's authority is accepted. Sometimes people may accept their leader because they are afraid of the consequences if they don't. In the words of Machiavelli, "It is better to be feared than loved." As long as the feared ruler is seen as bringing about prosperity or protecting the lives of his subjects, it is entirely possible that his people will be happy. Niccolo Machiavelli wrote political works during the Renaissance. In The Prince, Machiavelli advised his audience that in a system of Rule by Man it was "better to be feared than loved." An absolute ruler may be accepted because the people believe or accept the idea that God gave him/her the right to rule. This belief is known as divine right, which often has been associated with a monarchy, a form of government in which the power of the king or queen is hereditary. A similar idea legitimized the Chinese emperor, whose rule was threatened if his subjects perceived that he had lost the "mandate of heaven." Rule by man can also take the shape of an oligarchy, or rule by a few elites whose right to rule is based on possession of wealth, social status, military position or achievement. A little more broadly based rule is by aristocracy (literally, "rule of the highest"), but if the type of government is "rule by man", their decisions are still arbitary and absolute.
Rule by LawRule by law exists in any political system in which those with power cannot make up all their own rules, but must follow an established code of law. In ancient times a Byzantine emperor established Justinian's Code, a set of laws named after him that lived on long after he died. We still follow parts of that code today. The Romans were also known for codifying laws, as was Napoleon, Emperor of France, many centuries later. Napoleon revised the French laws into a single unified code, known as the Code Napoleon. Under the French Empire, the code was implemented throughout Europe. Napoleon is seen in this painting standing next to a copy of the Code written on a scroll. Today most governments at least claim to be ruled by law. The most common indication is the existence of a written constitution, but the most important question to ask is whether or not the constitution actually is the "blueprint" that determines how and what policies are made. For example, Nigeria officially is a democracy with a written constitution that one dictator after another has ignored. On the other hand, Great Britain has never had a constitution as a single written document, but has for centuries been governed by law. For much of their history, the English had a limited monarchy, or a king or queen who has followed rule of law. So whether a king can order "off with his head!" depends on the type of government that is accepted in his country. If he sets the rules (rule by man), or if the accepted outside rules allow (rule by law), the victim doesn't have a chance. Throughout history, there have been many different countries and societies, and those populations could never function properly without a form of leadership. Government is important with running a country; no civilization has lasted without some kind of decree from leader(s). The number of Governments that have existed at some point in time is big one, but today an absolute monarchy, a constitutional monarchy, a direct democracy, and an authoritarian Government will be highlighted. Government is an important part of countries, and out of the many civilizations in the world there are many kinds of Government. Absolute Monarchy was a Government with a sovereign leader who came into power by marriage or offspring; they had complete control with no limitations from constitution or law. They were considered the head of state and head of Government. Most Absolute Monarchies followed the Divine Right of the Kings - The Divine Right implies to everyone that the
Monarch in power is a representative of God, and by default, didn’t have to answer to anybody but God. This was a factor in keeping the people under control, and took away the right to question the Monarch’s authority. Although it is very clear that Monarchs of Absolute Monarchies are free to do anything with their authority that they want, patterns in history have proved that to achieve true Absolute Monarchy, the support of others was necessary. Monarchs were
often influenced by or shared power with other interests. The church was incredibly influential, and some power was shared with the clergy because of their strong influence on the citizens. Nobility could play a role as well. If there was enough opposition on something the Monarch did, power could be reduced. There have been quite a few Absolute Monarchies throughout history, and the ‘strongest’ one was Louis XIV of France. There was no other power than him - meaning there were no legislative,
judicial, or executive powers. No matter what he said, even if it was sentencing someone to death, it was final. The Czars of Russia are another great example; until 1905, the Czars had complete power over their subjects. The idea of Divine Right and the power of the Czars was so deeply relevant in their history and culture that it took a long time for absolutism to be abolished. Absolutism by itself can be described a lot alike to what an Absolute Monarchy is - the ruling individual has
‘absolute’ power, with no legal, electoral or other confrontation to that power. However, an Absolute Monarchy does not exist anymore, but the format of a Monarchy still remains. Direct Democracy is where the citizens are included in the decisions the Government makes, but the Government is still in charge. Sometimes, this term can be used for electing representatives in a direct vote as opposed to voting for an electing body, Electoral College, etc. There are many forms of Direct Democracy, and most are based around the popular vote of a political decision. Mandatory Referendums are held only when a referendum vote is required by law, like constitutions. Referendums of Government Authorities are where a president, cabinet, or legislature decides to take a popular vote on an issue. Citizens’ Initiatives are where something can be backed up by a certain amount of signatures, allowing the electorate to vote on political things proposed by a group, on bills approved by a legislature but not yet in action, or on laws that are already in force. In history, the Athens were one of the first to use Direct Democracy. Decisions were made by groups of around 1,000 male citizens. These were called people’s assemblies. As history went on, Swiss towns and some town meetings in early American colonies and states used it. Early US states began to use systems where constitutions or constitutional amendments were officially valid by referendums. Switzerland and many US states included direct democracy in their constitutions during the 19th century, and then Germany and a few others adopted it in World War 1. Modern Democracy (our Direct Democracy today) is said to have originated from the ideas of more political representation and voting rights - people wanted to be more involved in their Government. Modern democracy was not developed from the idea of assembly democracy like the Athens, but that is a fundament in the scheme of things. Authoritarianism is a Government with strong central power and very few political freedoms. Individual (the people’s freedoms) are under the control of the state, and there is no constitution to follow A Spanish sociologist and political scientist named Juan José Linz put Authoritarianism into 4 distinguishing traits; 1. There is political pluralism in place for political groups, legislatures, political parties, etc, ensuring that all powerful controlling groups are on the same page. 2. A fundamental acceptance of an authority (the identification of the regime as a necessary evil to combat "easily recognizable societal problems"). 3. Oppression and restraints on opposing political sides and Anti-Government sides. 4. Executive power not completely defined, and often very unstable (being whatever the leaders want at that time). Dictatorship is not a required part of Authoritarianism, it’s only an optional regime of the Government. Dictatorship is beyond only control of the Country, it’s control of the people as well (sometimes compared to brainwashing the population). They are similar, but differences like the aggression Dictatorships hold towards opposing side and political crackdowns (which in the past can be by sending opposing people to labour camps, or even killing them) separates them. There are many kinds of Government, and they all differ. Some may be controversial, and some may be considered too relaxed, but in the end they all roughly do what they’re meant to - guide the people. These Governments have all developed overtime, and some are older than the others. Government is an important part of Countries, and out of the many civilizations in the world there are many kinds of Government. Rhiannon R June, 2017 In which form of government is the ruling power in the hands of a single person such as a king?monarchy, political system based upon the undivided sovereignty or rule of a single person. The term applies to states in which supreme authority is vested in the monarch, an individual ruler who functions as the head of state and who achieves his or her position through heredity.
What type of government allows ruling power in the hands of few?oligarchy, government by the few, especially despotic power exercised by a small and privileged group for corrupt or selfish purposes. Oligarchies in which members of the ruling group are wealthy or exercise their power through their wealth are known as plutocracies.
What type of government has all the power resting in the hands of one person?Autocracy - A form of government in which a single person holds unlimited power. Oligarchy - A form of government in which the power to rule is held by a small, usually self-appointed elite. Unitary Government - A centralized government in which all government powers belong to a single, central agency.
In what type of government is the power in the hands of officials elected by the majority?Democracy (From Ancient Greek: δημοκρατία, romanized: dēmokratía, dēmos 'people' and kratos 'rule') is a form of government in which the people have the authority to deliberate and decide legislation ("direct democracy"), or to choose governing officials to do so ("representative democracy").
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