List of forms of government
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As there is often a strong correlation between certain ideologies, political systems and economic systems (for example, consider the meanings of the term communism). Many political systems overlap each other in various areas (for example consider the terms autocracy, despotism, totalitarism and tyranny). There are also various mutually exclusive hierarchical categorizations.
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Etymologist Approach to Major Political Systems
An etymologist's approach to forms of government: the following are real, possible or imaginary forms of government, all made different by the prefix and suffix combination. All use one of two suffixes: -archy meaning "leadership" (eg. anarchy - no leadership), and -cracy suffix from Greek "kratos" and means "strength" and "power" (e.g., democracy - people's power).
- adhocracy government in an unstructured fashion; an unstructured organization
- anarchy order without government
- andrarchy/androcracy government by men
- anemocracy government by the wind
- aristocracy government by the nobility (aristo=t"the best")
- autarchy government by an absolute ruler
- autocracy government by one individual
- bureaucracy government by civil servants
- civilocracy government klerostocracy, meritocracy, and elections
- confederacy a union of sovereign states
- corpoocracy government by corporations (industry)
- demarchy government by the people by lot
- democracy government by the people
- ethnocracy government by a particular ethnic group
- gerontocracy government by the aged
- gynarchy government by women
- gynocracy government by women; gynarchy
- heptarchy government by seven people
- hierarchy government by a ranked body; government by priests
- hierocracy government by priests or religious ministers
- kakistocracy government by the worst
- kleptocracy government by thieves
- klerostocracy government by all, by sortition (random selection, lot)
- matriarchy government by women or mothers
- meritocracy government by those with merit
- militocracy government by the military or by military rule
- monarchy government by one individual
- ochlocracy government by mobs
- oligarchy government by the few
- panarchy universal rule or dominion
- particracy government by political parties
- patriarchy government by men or fathers
- plantocracy government by plantation owners
- plutocracy government by the wealthy
- polyarchy government by many people
- pornocracy government by harlots
- randomocracy government by the people, using sortition
- synarchy joint sovereignty
- technocracy government by technical experts
- tetrarchy government by four people
- thalassocracy sovereignty of the seas
- theocracy government by clergy or by religious law
- timocracy government by the propertied class
- xerocracy government by photocopying
Alphabetical list (major systems with hierarchy)
The following list groups major political systems (recognized by political science) in alphabetical order. The various subtype political systems are listed below the main system of government. Note that many of them are not exclusive and can exist in various combinations (for example, a democracy may be at the same time a hereditary monarchy and socialist republic).
- Anarchism (perhaps better defined as a system of non-government)
- Authoritarianism
- Police state
- Single-party state
- Communist states (their relationship with the communist movement is disputed)
- Fascism
- Totalitarianism
- Autocracy
- Absolutism
- Despotism
- Enlightened Despotism, and the modern equivalent Benevolent Dictatorship
- Dictatorship (not all dictatorships are autocracies)
- Monarchy
- Patriarchy
- Tyranny
- Democracy
- Oligarchy (note: the various oligarchies have never totally identified themselves as such)
- Republic
- Theocracy (Hierocracy)
List by autonomy of regions
This list will attempt to list political systems with regard to the distribution of sovereignty, in practice meaning autonomy of its regions:
- Sovereignty located exclusively at the centre
- Sovereignty located at the centre and in peripheral areas
List by political franchise
This list will attempt to show a division based on political franchise (suffrage).
Weberian tripartite classification of authority
Max Weber in his tripartite classification of authority distinguished three ideal types of political leadership, domination and authority:
- charismatic domination (familial and religious)
- traditional domination (patriarchs, patrimonalism, feudalism)
- legal domination (modern law and state, bureaucracy)