Chapter 2 Types of
Government
1. Absolute/Traditional Monarchy
• A form of government where the monarch
rules without any laws, constitution, or legally
organized opposition.
• Examples: Brunei, Oman, Swaziland, and
Vatican City
2. Authoritarian
• A form of government in which state authority
is imposed onto many aspects of citizens'
lives.
• Examples: China, Cuba, Iran, Russia, and Syria
3.Communist
• A system of government in which the
government plans and controls the economy
and a single - often authoritarian - party holds
power; government controls are imposed with
the end of private ownership of property or
capital while claiming to make progress toward
a higher social order in which all goods are
equally shared by the people (that is, a classless
society).
• Examples: China, Cuba, North Korea, Laos, and
Vietnam
4. Constitutional Monarchy
• A system of government in which a monarch is
guided by a constitution whereby his/her
rights, duties, and responsibilities are spelled
out in written law or by custom, and in which
the government is run by a parliament.
• Examples: United Kingdom, Japan, Spain,
Thailand, and Sweden
5. Democracy
• A form of government in which the supreme
power is kept by the people, but which is
usually exercised indirectly through a system
of representation and delegated authority.
• Examples: See direct democracy and
representative democracy
6. Dictatorship
• A form of government in which a ruler or
small group hold absolute power (not
restricted by a constitution or laws).
• Examples: North Korea, Cuba, Russia, Ethiopia,
and Syria
7. Direct democracy
• A democracy in which the power to govern
lies directly in the hands of the people rather
than being exercised through their
representatives.
• Examples: Parts of Switzerland, and some
small towns in New England states in the U.S.
8. Monarchy
• A government in which the supreme power is
in the hands of a monarch who rules over a
state or territory, usually for life and by
hereditary right; the monarch may be either a
sole absolute ruler or a sovereign - such as a
king, queen, or prince - with constitutionally
limited authority.
• Examples: See absolute monarchy and
constitutional monarchy
9. Oligarchy
• A government in which control is exercised by
a small group of individuals whose authority
generally is based on wealth or power.
• Examples: According to some, the United
States, Greece, Russia, and Ukraine; in
literature, Panem from the Hunger Games
10. Representative democracy
• Variety of democracy founded on the
principle of elected officials representing a
group of people, as opposed to direct
democracy.
• Examples: United States, Germany, Ireland,
and India
11. Republic
• A representative democracy in which the
people's elected representatives, not the
people themselves, vote on legislation.
• Examples: Iceland, United States, France, and
Turkey
12. Theocracy
• A form of government in which a deity (god) is
recognized as the supreme civil ruler, but the
deity's laws are interpreted by religious
authorities; a government subject to religious
authority.
• Examples: Vatican City, Iran, and ISIS/ISIL
(though not an official country at this time)
13. Totalitarian
• A government that seeks to control not only
all political and economic matters, but also
the attitudes, values, and beliefs of its
population.
• Examples: North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela