List of forms of government - Definition

Please note that 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.

Alphabetical list (etymologist approach)

An etymologist's approach to forms of government: the following is a list of 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 - meaning no leadership), and -cracy meaning power (eg. democracy - power of people).

• adhocracy government in an unstructured fashion; an unstructured organization
• anarchy government by none
• andrarchy/androcracy government by men
• aristocracy government by the nobility
• autarchy government by an absolute ruler
• autocracy government by one individual
• bureaucracy government by civil servants
• confederacy a union of sovereign states; federation
• demarchy government by the people; popular government
• 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
• matriarchy government by women or mothers
• meritocracy government by those with merit
• monarchy government by one individual
• ochlocracy government by mobs
• oligarchy government by the few
• panarchy universal rule or dominion
• 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
• synarchy joint sovereignty
• technocracy government by technical experts
• tetrarchy government by four people
• thalassocracy sovereignty of the seas
• theocracy government by priests or by religious law
• timocracy government by the propertied class

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)
  • Anarcho-communism
  • Anarcho-capitalism
  • Eco-anarchism
  • Libertarian socialism
• Authoritarianism
  • Police state
    • Corporate police state
  • Single-party state
    • Communist states (their relationship with the communist movement is disputed)
    • Fascism
  • Totalitarianism
• Autocracy
  • Absolutism
  • Despotism
    • Enlightened Despotism also known as Benevolent Despotism
  • Dictatorship (not all dictatorships are autocracies)
    • Military Junta
  • Monarchy
    • Absolute monarchy
    • Constitutional monarchy
    • Despotate
    • Duchy
      • Grand Duchy
    • Elective monarchy
    • Emirate
    • Hereditary monarchy
    • Popular monarchy
    • Principality
    • New Monarchs
    • Self-proclaimed monarchy
    • Viceroyalty
  • Patriarchy
    • Patrimonalism
  • Tyranny
• Democracy
  • Deliberative democracy
  • Direct democracy
  • Participatory democracy
  • Representative democracy
    • Westminster system
    • Parliamentary system
      • Consensus government
    • Presidential system (Congressional system)
    • Semi-presidential system
  • Social democracy (also a political movement)
• Oligarchy (note: the various oligarchies have never totally identified themselves as such)
  • Aristocracy
  • Corporatism
  • Gerontocracy
  • Kleptocracy
  • Meritocracy
  • Plutocracy
  • Technocracy
• Republic
  • Federal Republic
  • Commonwealth
  • Socialist republic
• Theocracy (Hierocracy)
  • Caliphate
  • Holy See
  • Islamic Republic
  • Sultanate

List by autonomy of regions

This list will attempt to list political systems with regard to the autonomy of its regions:

• small autonomy
  • Empire
  • Unitary state
• wider autonomy
  • Federation and Federal republic
  • Confederation
  • Supranational union

List by political franchise

This list will attempt to show a division based on political franchise (suffrage).

• rule by majority
  • democracy
• rule by minority
  • oligarchy
• rule by one
  • autocracy
• rule by combination or mixed
  • Classical republics

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)

See Also

• Forms of government
• Countries by system of government