Foundations of Social Studies
GOVERNMENT
TYPES OF GOVERNMENTS
Government is the system of rules over a country’s citizens. It directs the ways of life and the
interaction between different countries. Government is necessary to have a structured and civilized
society. Some people believe in anarchy, a system in which there is no government at all; however,
this has always led to someone taking power and forming a government. Although there is
understanding across all nations that a system of government is necessary, different countries
organize their governments in different ways. Almost all governments in the world are a
combination of two or more the types listed alphabetically below.
Types of Governments
Authoritarian – An authoritarian government imposes authority on the citizens. There is very little
freedom or rights given to the people. This type of government has a strong leader that must often
use force and intimidation in order to maintain control. There are no countries that actually call
their government authoritarian, but some countries like Kazakhstan, Syria, Turkmenistan, and
Uzbekistan all have authoritarian governments despite their claims of being democracies or
republics.
Communist – In a communist government, the government controls and manages the economy.
Often, a single authoritarian political party holds the power. The main idea behind communism is
that the government controls the property and distribution of goods and services so that all people
have equal share and claim to those products. In practice though, inequality occurs and citizens are
powerless to improve their situation. Countries with communistic government today are China,
North Korea, and Cuba, Vietnam, and Laos.
Constitutional – A constitutional government is one in which the government’s power is clearly
described by a document usually called a constitution. This document limits the power of the
government, gives rights to people, and explains the fundamental laws and principles that must be
followed. Many countries today are constitutional but they are also categorized by another type of
government. For example, the United Kingdom and Norway are constitutional monarchies and
Iceland and the United States are constitutional republics.
Democracy – In a democracy, the people have the ultimate power which is exercised through
voting. In a pure democracy people would vote for everything in relation to how the government
should work. This is not how most democracies function today because it is not practical. Today,
citizens elect representatives and rely on these officials to run the government. This is called
representative democracy. There are many representative democracies around the world today.
Citizens may use a democracy to create any of the many other types of government described in
this essay.
Dictatorship – A dictatorship is a government run by a single person or a small group of people that
have unlimited and absolute power. The ruler is not bound by a constitution or any laws. North
Korea, with its communist government, is run by a dictator. Belarus claims to have a republic, but is
actually run by a dictator who cannot be voted out of office.
Federation – In a federation, the power of the government is divided by a constitution. The power is
split between a central government, called the federal government, and the country’s regions.
Countries differ on what to call their federal regions; states, districts, provinces, or territories, etc.
Federations will have some laws that influence the actions of the regions, but it will also have laws
that affect the individual citizens. The United States, with its federal government and 50 separate
state governments, is an example of a federation. Other examples are Russia, Brazil, and Mexico.
Monarchy – A monarchy is a government where the authority is given to one person. Unlike a
dictatorship, the monarch is someone who gained power through birth. The monarch reigns until
death, then is replaced by their heir who would be a close family relation, usually a son or daughter.
Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Swaziland are the only countries that are considered monarchies. All other
countries that have monarchs are constitutional monarchies because they have a constitution that
limits the powers of the monarch.
Republic – In republics, people are represented by politicians who vote on laws, instead of people
directly voting on everything. The majority of the countries in the world consider themselves to be
republics simply because people vote to elect representatives. Examples of republics are: the United
States, France, Russia, and Mexico.
Socialism – In socialist systems the government controls the planning, producing, and distribution of
goods. It aims to equally distribute the goods and the labor throughout the people. Socialism is
different from communism because there is not one ruling person or political party. Although there
are no countries that have a pure socialist government, many countries, especially in Europe, are
considered socialistic because their people have voted for socialized programs, giving the
government power and control over things like health care and education.
Theocracy – In a theocracy, Deity or God is recognized as the supreme civil ruler and leader. The
government is subject to religious laws as are interpreted by spiritual leaders. The government
leader is one who is directly connected and communicating with God. The Vatican City is a Christian
theocratic state. The Pope, who is the head of the Roman Catholic Church, is the ruling authority.
Saudi Arabia and Iran are sometimes called theocracies. Although the rulers are not the religious
authority for the Islam faith, Islam rules and beliefs play a major role in their laws and court rulings.
Totalitarian – Like the name hints, a totalitarian government has total control over its people. This
government, like socialism, communism, and dictatorship, controls economic policies, but it goes
further to control the attitudes, beliefs, and values of the citizens. Totalitarian governments use
force and intimidation to control its people, but can also use propaganda and government
censorship of media to control what beliefs and attitudes the people are exposed to. North Korea is
considered a totalitarian government. In North Korea, the internet is censored and the government
controls all of the television channels in order to manipulate the ideas and beliefs of the citizens.