SUMMER 2020

POL 101: Session 5 (NHA)

CLASSIFICATION AND FORMS

OF GOVERNMENT
 FORMS OF GOVERNMENT
A form of government or form of state governance, refers to the set of
political institutions by which a government of a state is organized.

Synonyms for forms of government

Regime, administration, authority, governance, jurisdiction, executive,
cabinet etc.

Government normally consists of legislators, administrators and arbitrators.

 Aristotle’s Ancient Classification of Government
Who Legitimate Forms Corrupt Forms
Governs Rule in the interest of all Rule in the interest of selves

One Monarchy Tyranny

A few Aristocracy Oligarchy

Aristotle considered Aristocracy as the best

In Ancient Greek, the word aristocracy means the rule
of the best, but it has come to be linked with rule by
royal families. Aristocracy is a kind
of government that puts power in the hands of a small,
privileged ruling class.
 Stephen Leacock’s Modern Classification of Government
On the basis of location of Democracy Dictatorship
sovereign power

On the basis of the method of The Republic Constitutional Monarchy

acquiring power by the head of
the state
On the basis of the relation Presidential form of Parliamentary form of
between the Executive and the Government Government
Legislative
On the basis of distribution of Federal Government Unitary Government
power between the centre and
the province
 DEMOCRACY

According to the former president of USA, Abraham Lincoln, "Democracy

is a government of the people, by the people and for the people.”

It means when people are the sources of all power and where the opinion of
the people are valued most.
 ELEMENTS OF DEMOCRACY

• Guarantee of basic Human Rights to every individual

• Separation of Powers between the institutions of the state
i.e., Executive, Legislative and Judiciary
• Freedom of opinion, speech, press and mass media
• Religious liberty
• General and equal right to vote
• Good Governance i.e., focus on public interest and
absence of corruption
Democracy is of two types: (1) Direct or pure democracy; (2) Indirect or
representative democracy.
In direct democracy all eligible citizens have direct participation in the decision
making of the government. It is a form of democracy in which people vote on
policy initiatives directly. In direct democracy, people decide on policies without
any intermediary. This form of direct democracy effectively grants the voting
public a veto on laws adopted by the elected legislature, as in Switzerland.

Depending on the particular system in use, direct democracy might entail passing
executive decisions, making laws, directly electing or dismissing officials, and
conducting trials.
A representative democracy is a system of government in which all eligible
citizens vote for representatives who then enact policy initiatives. The more
common form of democracy is representative democracy where citizens
exercise power through elected representatives.
Following three factors can determine the effectiveness of a representative
democracy:
First, there has to be an opportunity for genuine competition in the selection
of leadership.
Second, there has to be free communication, both among the people and in
the press.
Third, voters have to believe that a meaningful choice exists between
candidates and that differences in policy are honestly reflected in each.
 DICTATORSHIP
In this system, the sovereign power of the state is vested in the hands of one
person or a group of people. The ideal of dictatorship is one country, one nation
and one leader. In dictatorial administration there is one political party and the
ruler is not accountable to anybody. Hitler of Germany and his Nazi Party is an
example.
The ruler usually does not call himself a dictator rather he considers himself as a
leader. The country is usually called a democratic republic but is not in reality.
Like elections are held in North Korea but the contesting candidate is usually
one; such as Kim Jong-un.
In present day world, Cuba, Sudan, Myanmar have Military
Dictatorships. Both Pakistan and Bangladesh experienced military
dictators’ rule.
 REPUBLIC
Republic is an administrative system where the head of the government
gets power through election of the people. The head exercises power
according to the rule of law. Bangladesh is an example of Republic.

A republic allows greater freedom and prosperity. Economic pursuit benefits the entire
nation and people are able to live well. When government serves the interests of the
entire country, we say it is serving the common welfare. There is wider participation in
the political process.
 MONARCHY

It is a democratic system of administration where the

Head of the state gets power through heredity and
remains the symbolic head only.

In this system the real power remains in the hands of the

elected representatives. Here the monarch reigns but does
not rule. Example is Great Britain.
 TYPES OF MONARCHY

1. Absolute monarchy: When the Monarch completes authority over

all the affairs of his Kingdom. He has the power to enforce any type of
law. e.g. Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Brunei.

2. Constitutional Monarchy: When a monarch acts as head of the state

within the parameters of a constitution.

In most cases, Constitutional Monarchy is practiced in Parliamentary

system in which real authority rests with Prime Minister and Monarch
is just a symbolic head. Examples, Great Britain, Denmark.
 PRESIDENTIAL FORM OF GOVERNMENT
Presidential form of government is that form of government in which the
administration is not accountable to the Legislature. President is the real Executive.
The president is elected by direct votes of the people. Presidential form of government
is prevalent in the USA . In this system all the powers are vested in the hands of the
president. The president is not a member of the Legislature. He is elected by the people
for a fixed term.

The Legislature cannot pass a vote of no-confidence against him. He can only be
removed by impeachment. The president appoints the ministers and they are
responsible to him. He can dismiss any minister at any time.
 PARLIAMENTARY FORM OF GOVERNMENT

In this system the administration is conducted by the council of ministers and

these ministers remain responsible for their activities to the legislature. This is
also called the cabinet form of government.

Here the head of the council of ministers is the Prime Minister. Examples are
Great Britain, India and Canada.

The Prime Minister and the ministers are collectively responsible to the
legislature for their policies and activities. The council of ministers will remain
in power till the Legislature support them. If the majority of the members of the
Legislature brings the vote of no confidence against the ministers they resign.
 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
In the system of administration where the constitution distributes the powers
between the Central Government and the Provincial Government, it is called
the Federal Government. This system is available in India and in the USA. In
the system there are two types of government: the central government and the
state government.

The constitution distributes power between the Central and the State
Government. The subjects concerning the total interest of the states remain
under the Central Government and the subjects concerning the local interest
remain in the State or Provincial Government. In the matters of regional
administration the State Government enjoys self-government. In this system of
administration the constitution is written and it is rigid.
 UNITARY GOVERNMENT
A unitary government is a government in which all the powers of the
state are concentrated in the hands of the Central Government
sanctioned by the constitution. The Local Governments derive their
powers from the Central
Government.
Bangladesh is an example of unitary government. For the convenience
of administration of unitary government the state is divided into some
parts(Division, District, Upazilla, City Corporation, Municipality,
Union Council). In these parts local governments are formed. To
squeeze or expand the power of the government depends on the will
of the central government.
Among other forms of government, oligarchy,
authoritarianism, totalitarianism and theocracy are
significant.
 OLIGARCHY
It is a form of government in which all power resides with a few people or
in a dominant class or group within the society. These groups of people
may be distinguished by royalty, wealth, education or military control. One
family may have power for several years, and then the power may be
shifted to another group of people or another family based on their military
ties or wealth. The most well-known example is the former Soviet Union.
Other examples of oligarchy governments are found in the countries of
China and Venezuela.
 Authoritarianism
AUTHORITARIAN REGIME

Non-democratic government but not necessarily totalitarian. It is a type of hybrid

regime.
Authoritarian regimes are governed by a small group; usually a dictator or army.
They do not attempt to control everything. Many economic, social, religious, cultural
and familial matters are left up to individuals.
Rigged elections confirm the rule of the dominant party, legislatures rubber stamp the
dictator’s laws and puppet prime minister and cabinet carry them out.
 Types of Authoritarianism
Examples
Military Mauritania, Niger
Personalistic Uzbekistan, Venezuela
Traditional Monarchy Saudi Arabia, Kuwait
Dominant Party Russia, Zimbabwe
Single Party China, Cuba
 TOTALITARIAN REGIME

Totalitarian means relating to a government where

the ruler or ruling group has complete control. An
example of totalitarian used as an adjective is in the
phrase "totalitarian regime" which means a rule
where the ruler has total authority over everyone.
Examples, State of Eritrea and North Korea.
A totalitarian system of government in which a single authoritarian
party controls state-owned means of production.

■ Freedom disappears.

■ The old autocratic rulers kept their subjects quiet, but the totalitarian
state insists on mass enthusiasm.

In most cases, a communist state is based on the ideology of

communism as taught by Marx/Lenin. A planned economy is often part
of the governing class and in many cases resources are taken and then
redistributed to others.
 6 TRAITS OF TOTALITARIAN
GOVERNMENT

• An all-encompassing ideology
• A single party
• Organized terror
• Monopoly of communications
• Monopoly of weapons
• Controlled economy
 THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TOTALITARIAN
AND AUTHORITARIAN REGIMES

•While authoritarian regimes place all of the power into a single

dictator or group, that power is only political.

•Within totalitarian regimes, the leadership controls nearly all aspects

of the state from economical to political to social and cultural.
Totalitarian regimes control science, education, art and private lives
of residents to the degree of dictation proper morality. The reach of
the government is limitless.
 THEOCRACY
• Theocracy is a form of government in which a country is ruled by religious leaders.
• A theocratic ruler legitimizes his rule by claiming it as his divine right.
• Theocratic governments seek guidance from higher powers to cover all aspects of life,
including law, punishment, education and marriage.
• Theocratic government is highly influenced from religion and laws are often made in
the light of their faith.
• A theocratic ruler is a kind of dictator. Examples: Iran has been a theocracy since the
religious Islamic Revolution in 1979, when the people of Iran established a country
based on Islamic law.

• The Vatican City is also a theocracy. It is headed by the Pope, head of the Roman
Catholic Church, administered by clergy and governed by religious laws.
Required Reading

■ Roskin, M. G., Cord, R. L., Medeiros, J. A., & Jones, W. S. (2014).

Political Science: An Introduction (14th Edition). Pearson. (Chapter 3
& 5)

• https://wikieducator.org/Forms_of_Government

• https://www.slideshare.net/ShahUsmanRiwayat/five-major-forms-of-g
overnments-in-todays-world

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Bangladesh#Executive_
branch