Throughout history, the world has seen the rise and fall of variety governmental systems, but only a handful has survived to modern times.
Below are three most popular systems of government used in the world today.
These three appear on a list of countries and their governments listed in the CIA World Factbook. These types of governments are listed in alphabetical order.
Communism
Communist State or Communism may be the most infamous type of government on the list, and was the focus of the Cold War.
The American Heritage Dictionary defines Communism as, "a social system characterized by the common ownership of the means of production and subsistence and by the organization of labor for the common advantage of all members."
On paper, this sounds like a pretty nice existence; a life where everyone is equal, has all of their needs met, and all are working for the greater good.
Unfortunately, in practice, Communism never leads to such a reality. Most Communist states claim to be working toward such an existence. However, during their work in progress, commonly two classes emerge; a ruling class and a worker class.
In this two-class system, resources are divided, but the ruling class usually receives far more than their fair share. As a result, food lines and scarce resources tend to emerge.
Democracy
A Democracy is a form of government in which all citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives.
In theory, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law.
However, there are varying types of democracy. For example, the CIA World Factbook describes the U.S. as a "Constitution-based federal republic" with a "strong democratic tradition". In other words, a constitutional democracy.
Democracy in its purest form seems to be the way to go. At least until politicians get involved. Then, that equal say becomes a little less equal.
The peoples' representatives may become corrupt or, at the very least, they become out of touch with their constituents.
Shortfalls aside, a democracy seems to be the best choice people have to preserve their natural rights and freedoms.
Monarchy
A Monarchy is a form of government in which the leader is chosen through hereditary means and includes a royal house.
The term conjures up images of kings and queens of medieval England. However, there are more than two dozen Monarchies in use today - most of which are constitutional monarchies, where the head of state’s duties are spelled out.
The problem with a monarchy is that it is most often nothing more than a dictatorship. Though the people do not have to make any decisions themselves, they are totally subject to the whims of their leader.
Every type of government has its pros and cons. In today's world, it seems that there is still no perfect government.
However, the one constant that remains with all of these types of governments is that as soon as politicians are mixed in, they all become less effective.
Image Credit: Indymedia
Dennis Dufrene is the resident historian and technical writer. With this background, Dennis brings insight and accuracy to the stories published here at Top Secret Writers. Dennis has 314 post(s) at Top Secret Writers
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