Political

System and
Political
Regime
 Political System
Political systems are the formal and informal political processes by
which decisions are made concerning the use, production and
distribution of resources in any given society.

Political Regime
Political Regime is an institution with clear substantive and
geographical limits, bound by explicit rules, and agreed on by
governments.
Different Types of
Political System in the Fascsim
World Communism
Democracy
Theocracy
Monarchy
Oligarchy
 POLITICAL REGIME
Number of
Type of
people who hold Definition Countries
Regime
power

A form of government in which total sovereignty is

invested in one person, a head of state called a Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Brunei,
Monarchy One
monarch, who holds the position until death or Medieval England
abdication.

Libya, Cuba, North Korea, Nazi

All within the state, none outside the state, none against
Dictatorship One Germany
the state.

A few (usually a small

The rule of the few—the morally and intellectually Ancient Sparta
Aristocracy ruling class).
superior—governing in the interest of all.

A few (usually a small

Derogatory term for governments ruled by a few
Oligarchy group of wealthy Renaissance Venice
individuals.
individuals).

The word democracy comes from the Greek words

Democracy Many or all United States, ancient Athens
"demos" meaning people, and "kratos" meaning power.
 FASCISM

POLITICAL SYSTEM
ORIGIN AND DEFINITION

Comes from the Italian word:

Fascio- means “bundle” or a political or military

group or a Nation

Fasces- also means “rods bundled around an

axe”

In Ancient Roman symbol it means

AUTHORITY

SYMBOLISM
Fascism
The symbolism of fascism is “Strength through
unity” it means a SINGLE ROD is easy broken,
but a BUNDLE is difficult to break.
Benito Mussolini
-the originator of this ideology
During the 1930s and 1940s it saw a
significant influence in

Italy Germany Argentina Chile

*Fascism has a strong Doctrine which is to UNIFY a counter under A SINGLE

GENETIC BANNER.
 “In applying a political system in any country
there will be always a PLAYBOOK.”
Some playbooks are:

1. They apply a strong NATIONALISM that sometimes become

“racial” and “cultural purity”
Example; Adolf Hitler of Nazis use this to paint Jews as a subject. If you are
a jews at that time, they you are worthy to eliminate

2. Total control of society, in short “Totaliatarianism”

In fascism, there is only one ruler called “The dictator” . It definitely rejects
the idea of “pluralism in government” or the ability of multiple parties to
compete for power.

 “In applying a political system in any country

there will be always a PLAYBOOK.”
Some playbooks are:

3. The economy of fascism are focus only in Military purposes

They ban foreign trade to avoid being dependent in any other country
They only allow businesses that benefit the country and promoted the
national interest

4. Fascism also supported VIOLENCE in political means

As history has shown it cause mass murder and unequality

Giovanni Gentile
Italian philosopher of Fascism
“Everything is for the state, nothing against the
state, and nothing outside the state."
Fascism also promotes
MILITARY
REGIMES

A military regime is a dictatorship in which the

military exerts complete or substantial control
over political authority, and the dictator is often
a high-ranked military officer. The reverse
situation is to have civilian control by the
military.

FAMOUS PEOPLE
WHO APPLY THIS REGIME ARE:

Adolf Hitler Sadam Hussein Idi amin dada

Germany from 1933 to Iraq from 1979 to 2003 Uganda from 1971- 1979
1945

FAMOUS PEOPLE
WHO APPLY THIS REGIME ARE:

Joseph stalin Muammar Gaddafi The Kim family

USSR from 1929-1953 Libya from 1977 to 2011 Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il and


Kim Jong Un
North korea from 1948 to current
(2022)
 COMMUNISM

POLITICAL SYSTEM
What is Communism?
Government system where everything is
distributed equally.

The word "communism" comes from the Latin

word "communis" which means common or
belonging to all.

Origins of Communism
Original idea was proposed in Ancient
Greece

"Communist Manifesto" was proposed by Communism

Karl Marx and Frederick Engels.
There is always a struggle between classes,
Factory owners got rich on the backs of the
workers. Beliefs in
The workers take control of the country to Communism
produce things for everyone. Nothing is
made for profit, all people benefit.

Goals in To get rid of social classes and make

everything fair for everyone.
Communism
 THE SYMBOLS
OF COMMUNISM

THE HAMMER & SICKLE

The Hammer represents workers

The Sickle represents farm laborers

THE SPREAD OF
COMMUNISM
Began in Russia in 19th Century to form the old
USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics).
Then spread worldwide as the USSR
successfully planted communist governments
in European and Asian countries.

OTHER TYPES OF COMMUNISM

Leninism - Vladimir Lenin
Stalinism - Joseph stalin
Maoism - mao zedong
OTHER TYPES OF
COMMUNISM
 COMMUNIST COUNTRIES

China

Mao Zedong took control over China in 1949 and

proclaimed the nation as the People's Republic of China, a
communist country. China has remained consistently
communist since then, and the country has been called "Red
China" due to the Communist Party's control.
 COMMUNIST COUNTRIES

China

China does have political parties other than the Communist

Party of China (CPC), and open elections are held locally
throughout the country. That said, however, the CPC has
control over all political appointments, and little opposition
typically exists for the ruling Communist Party.
 COMMUNIST COUNTRIES

China

As China has opened up to the rest of the world in recent

decades, the resulting disparities of wealth have eroded
some of the principles of communism. In 2004, the
country's constitution was changed to recognize private
property.
COMMUNIST PARTY OF
THE PHILIPPINES JOSE

MARIA SISON (DEC. 26 1968)

 Other communist countries:

Azerbaijan Kazakhstan Russia Tajikistan Turkmenistan

Ukraine Uzbekistan Afghanistan Mongolia Yemen Vietnam

 DEMOCRACY

POLITICAL SYSTEM
What is Democracy?
A system of government by the whole population or
all the eligible members of a state, typically through
elected representatives

Origins of Democracy
The word democracy is a term that comes from
Greek word demos means "People" and kratein
means "to govern, to rule"
Democracy can be literally translated by the
following terms: Government of the People or
Government of the Majority.
Democracy
DEMOCRACY
IN HISTORY

The first known democracy in the world was in Athens.

Athenian democracy developed around the fifth century.

The Greek idea of democracy was different from present-

day democracy because, in Athens, all adult citizens were
required to take an active part in the government.

The Athenian definition of “citizens” was also different

from modern-day citizens: only free men were considered
citizens in Athens. Women, children, and slaves were not
considered citizens and therefore could not vote.
DEMOCRACY
MODERN

In the modern day, Representative democracies

are prevalent in many contemporary nations.
Instead of having a direct vote on the laws that
control them, citizens in a representative
democracy elect representatives to make and
amend the laws that govern them.
KEY ELEMENTSOF STATES
ORGANIZED UNDER
DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES:
FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOM
AND FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS

Human rights are much more than a mere component of democracy. They
represent sine qua non requirements for the well performing of a democratic
system. The development and evolution of human rights are only possible
when humans live in a democracy
The Individual Personality Rights
constitute the core of human rights

Political and Civil Rights are there to make sure that each citizen
can participate without any restriction to the political life of his/her
community.

Thanks to Social and Economic Rights, minimum living wage for

the survival of a human being must be guaranteed for him/her.
ELECTIONS:

Elections constitute one of the most important pillars of democracy. Those texts of
Electoral Law rule and clearly define both the organization of these elections, and how
to undertake the deduction of the votes in order to assign them to the corresponding
seats.
Democratic elections are free when citizens have the right to choose from several candidates or
parties that can run for the election without any restriction.

Democratic elections are equitable when each citizen who can use his/her right to vote has at his/her
disposal

In democratic elections, there must be no way of knowing for which political party or for which
particular candidate a citizen has voted.

Democratic elections are, therefore, public and

transparent
In addition to the requirements mentioned above, it is also important to institute elections on
regular basis.
The electorate’s votes should be final
There are Two separate systems:
The absolute majority votes
The proportional ones

In the absolute majority system:

The candidates are dealing with a large proportion of the population with the
purpose of trying to win the majority.

The government must effectively take into account the presence of the other
political parties
In the proportional system:

It allows the representation of all political trends

It is easy to create new political parties

It is possible to avoid extreme political inversions

RULE OF LAW

In a Rule of Law, there are fundamental principles and procedures that guarantee the
freedom of each individual and which allow participation in political life.
In a democratic State, all the citizens are equal in front of the law

In the Constitution of a Democratic State of Law, the notion of

“independence of the judiciary” is well rooted.

They must only use rights and laws and cannot be destitute of their

function without their agreement

Security Right constitutes as well another fundamental principle of Rule of

Law
SEPARATION OF POWERS

o The legislative power draws up and adopts laws

o The executive power enforces laws and government policies
o The judiciary power represents the legal framework for exercising the power.

As a general rule, there are two government systems that need to be distinguished: the
“parliamentary regime” and the “presidential regime“. In some countries, they are
sometimes intermingled into mixed forms.
In parliamentary regimes:

The government stems from the parliament that is elected by the

people.

It is the government that deals with documents for the drawing up

and proposals of law.

Political parties play a very important role as the majority at the

parliament constitutes the necessary requirement for accession to

government seats.

A parliamentary regime conveys the idea that the government and

the parliament must act together.

Presidential regime on the other hand is constituted in a different way

The United States of America had their legislative and executive power

separated.

Members of the government have no right to have a seat at the Congress.

THE PARLIAMENT

They hold the right to put forward proposals of laws. In the systems of parliamentary governments,

this right is often assigned to the government, as it represents the majority in the parliament, and the

likeliness of having a bill passed is greater in this case.

 They hold the right to put forward proposals of laws

The parliament is vested, in front of the government, with the office of controlling.

The National Assembly has also the possibility to destitute the government

Parliaments are then mostly characterized by their function of articulation and

expression of political will.

This means that:

-Members of Parliament articulate or express population will.
-Members of Parliament try to inform the population on their job.

In some countries, it is also the members of parliament who elect the members of the

High Court of Justice.

PUBLIC OPINION AND FREEDOM OF THE MEDIA

Public opinion is of decisive importance for democracy.

Public opinion is made up with citizens or specific groups that reflect on their community and
express their criticisms, their proposals or their agreement to influence the construction of
political will.
A tool to control the politicians that lead the country. On the one hand, this is important for the
opposition as the latter is only potentially active in front of the government through this public
opinion.
PUBLIC OPINION AND FREEDOM OF THE MEDIA

Public opinion then constitutes a controlling tool, which is very important in a democracy and
which implies that it is only politicians who confront this public opinion who can display true
interest for citizens’ desiderata.

Political parties, particularly, must call on the media to lay their projects and their stands in front
of the population. It is by the way for this reason that the media are considered as the “fourth
power” coming after the judiciary, the executive and the legislative powers, because they
constitute in fact the most important controlling tools of the public opinion.
PROS AND CONS OR
DEMOCRACY
 Democracy is fairer because it lets the people living in a country decide who is
going to rule them. Other systems, such as absolute monarchs, military
dictatorships, theocracies, etc. rely on a small clique or cabal of people, or an
individual, or arbitrary methods such as hereditary birth for deciding who will
rule, bypassing the wishes of the majority of the population.

Democratic systems are good at ensuring openness and keeping a check on

corruption. This is because rival political groups are constantly attempting to
expose government mistakes and crimes. This level of accountability does not
exist in most one-party/autocratic systems, where criticism of the government is
often made very difficult.

PROS
 CONS

The tyranny of the majority is a constant threat to minority groups, as a

leader or government may only serve the interests of the largest social

groups and ignore, or even repress the rights of others.

The democratic process encourages politicians to make promises that

they know they cannot keep, in order to be elected. This creates public

cynicism and disillusionment in the long run.

 THEOCRACY

POLITICAL SYSTEM
What is Theocracy?
Theocracy is a form of government in which priests
or religious leaders rule in the name of a deity or
deities.

Origins of Theocracy

Theocracy derives from the Greek word theocratia,

which means " the rule of God."

This, in turn, derives from (theos), which means

"god," and (krateo), which means "to reign." Theocracy
CHARACTERISTICS OF A
THEOCRACY
NO SEPARATION BETWEEN
'CHURCH' AND STATE

There is no separation of church and state and open

practice of only the prevailing religion is allowed. All
authority is centralized in a single institution, with no
separation of powers.

Political leaders may be active both as

politicians and religious clerics, and political
rulers derive their legitimacy from the religious
establishment.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTIES

Theocracies tend to formulate laws which privilege the

dominant religious group and create barriers for the
development of minority religious groups.

There is no room for the processes of

democracy in a true theocracythey might have
laws which restrict their freedoms in some way.
LEGISLATING MORALITY

Theocracies also often try to impose personal morality

through legislation.

Theocracies, tend to create laws that affect almost every

aspect of a citizen's personal and private life, including
their sexual lives and reproductive practices.

Residents of a theocracy often do not have religious

freedom and are unable to vote on political matters
The term "theocracy" initially appeared in the
first century AD when it was first used to describe
the type of government practiced by the Jews.
Flavius Josephus-

First century Romano-Jewish historian and

military leader
Best known for his book "The Jewish War".
 This definition of theocracy was common until
the Enlightenment Era when the term began to
take on a negative meaning.

By 1622, the English meaning of the term came

to describe a sacerdotal government working
under divine command.

The meaning "priestly or religious body

wielding political and civil power" was recorded
in 1825.
ANCIENT THEOCRACY
ANCIENT EGYPT

Theocratic rule of Egypt lasted for about 3,000 years, from around 3150
BCE to around 30 BCE, creating and maintaining one of the world's
greatest ancient cultures in the process.
Kings, or pharaohs, ruled by a mandate from the gods. They were known
of as direct descendants of the Sun God, Ra. Pharaohs were guided by
advisors and high priests in carrying out the gods’ wishes for constructing
new temples, creating laws, and providing for defense.
BIBLICAL ISRAEL

Hebrews believed that their government was by divine rule, whether under the
original tribal form, the kingly form, or the high priesthood after the Exile in
597 BCE until the rule of the Maccabees around 167 BCE. The actual rulers were
held responsible directly to God

Flavius Josephus - "God was the sovereign and His word was law".
ANCIENT CHINA

During the Shang Dynasty, the priest-king was thought to communicate and
interpret the wishes of the gods and their ancestors

In 1046 BCE, the Shang Dynasty was overthrown by the Zhou Dynasty, which used
a claimed “Mandate of Heaven” as a way to overthrow the government.

This mandate stated that the current ruler was chosen by a divine force.
MODERN THEOCRACY
AFGHANISTAN

This Middle Eastern country recently fell back into a theocratic

government with the resurgence of the Taliban, a conservative religious
regime whose laws are heavily based upon Islamic Sharia law.

The stated ultimate goal of this fundamentalist Islamic regime is to unify

the Afghani people under a common religious law.
IRAN

Iran have tremendous power, with religious rulers occupying the

majority of the country's most powerful governmental positions, from
the heads of the military to the court system.

The religious Guardian Council even has the power to veto laws or ban
political candidates
SAUDI ARABIA

A royal decree from 1992 states that both king and country must comply
country's new constitution "Sharia Law and the Quran and Sunnah" (Muslim
holy books and teachings). Saudi Arabia becomes strict in enforcing rules to
the country.

Saudi Arabia is a controlling environment, with "religious police" who patrol

the streets enforcing rules.
VATICAN CITY
Vatican City is the global headquarters of the Catholic church. It is ruled by the
pope, who is an absolute monarch.

Every government official as well as the overwhelming majority of Vatican

City's general population, are a member of the clergy.

The Servant of the Servants of God (the Pope) is usually elected for lifetime.
 MONARCHY

POLITICAL SYSTEM
 What is Monarchy?
Monarchy is a form of government in which a
person, the monarch, is head of state for life or
until abdication.
The succession of monarchs in many cases has
been hereditical, often building dynastic
periods.

Origins of Monarchy
The word monarchy was derived from the
Greek root words monos which means “one” and
arkhein which means “rule”.

Some of the oldest recorded and evidenced

monarchies were Narmer, Pharaoh of Ancient
Monarchy
Egypt (3100BCE), and Enmebaragesi, a
Sumerian King of Kish(2600BCE).
DIFFERENT TITLES OF A
MONARCH
Monarchs can carry various titles such as:

emperor, empress, king,

queen, raja, khan, tsar,
sultan, shah, or
pharaoh.
TYPES OF MONARCHY
CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY

A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy

is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in
accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making.

Countries with Constitutional Monarchy:

*Japan *United Kingdom *Denmark
ABSOLUTE MONARCHY

The monarch has full and absolute political power. They can amend, reject, or
create laws, represent the country’s interests abroad, appoint political leaders,
and so on.

Countries with Absolute Monarchy:

*Saudi Arabia *Vatican City
FEDERAL MONARCHY

The monarch serves an overall figurehead of the federation of states which

have their own governments, or even monarchies, ruling them.

Countries with Federal Monarchy:

*United Arab Emirates *Malaysia
MIXED MONARCHY

This is a situation where in an absolute monarch may divide powers in distinct

ways specific to the country.

Countries with Mixed Monarchy:

*Jordan *Morocco
ADVANTAGES AND
DISADVANTAGES OF
MONARCHY
Advantages

1. Reduces partisanship and creates a sense of unity

2. Faster Decision-making process

3. Increases Government Savings
4. Smooth Transition of Power

5. Trained Leaders

6. A Stable and Balanced Government

Disadvantages

1. May Lead to Tyranny

2. Lack of Diversity in the Government

3. Changes according to the ruler

4. Unparalleled Power of the Monarch

 OLIGARCHY

POLITICAL SYSTEM
What is Oligarchy?
From Greek word (oligarkhía) 'rule by few'; from
(olígos)'few', and (arkho) 'to rule or to command'

Oligarchy is a conceptual form of power structure in

which power rests with a small number of people. These
people may or may not be distinguished by one or
several characteristics, such as nobility, fame, wealth,
education, or corporate, religious, political, or military
control.
Oligarchy
Origin of Oligarchy?

The term was used by Greek philosopher

Aristotle in contrast to aristocracy, which was
another term to describe rule by a privileged
few. However, to Aristotle, an aristocracy
signified rule by the best members of society,
while an oligarchy was characterized by the rule
of the few for corrupt and unjust purposes.
Oligarchy
 ROBERT
MICHELS
He developed the Iron law of Oligarchy in his
first book in 1911 titled Political Parties that states
that all forms of organization, regardless of how
democratic they may be at the start, will eventually
and inevitably develop oligarchic tendencies, thus
making true democracy practically and theoretically
impossible, especially in large groups and complex
organization.
 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
OLIGARCHIES AND ARISTOCRACIES

In an aristocracy, the ruling class is a small group of individuals presumed to be

the most qualified for the role, such as the noble class.
In an oligarchy, the small group of people responsible for governing the nation
may not be qualified for the role. Oligarchies are often associated with tyranny
and oppression.
The oligarchs, the small group of individuals in power often maintain their
position by relying on obedience from the public while the aristocrats tend to
act in the best interest of their society.
COUNTRIES THAT
PRACTICED OR STILL
PRACTICES OLIGARCHY
PHILIPPINES

During the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos from 1965 to 1986, several

monopolies arose in the Philippines, particularly centred around the family
and close associates of the president. This period, as well as subsequent
decades, have led some analysts to describe the country as an oligarchy.
RUSSIA

Russia can be considered both a historical and modern example of an

oligarchy. The wealthy and elite in Russia are the ones to run the
government. Many of these oligarchs achieved their wealth after the fall
of the Soviet Union, also considered an oligarchy.
IRAN

Much like Russia, Iran is run by an elite group of wealthy people within
the country. The “thousand families” of the Pahlavi dynasty was replaced
by the newly rich after the revolution in the late 1900s. Many of these
oligarchs are criticized for flaunting their wealth.
CHINA

Since the political control and government is in the hands of a few elite
individuals of the Communist Party of China, China is considered an
oligarchy. The Communist Party of China has hold of the government,
with five main members controlling most government facets. One leader
of the country, Xi Jinping, also removed term limits to be president for
life.
PROS AND CONS OF AN
OLIGARCHY
 PROS
It consolidates power with those who have expertise.
It allows people to be focused on what they do.
Innovation can thrive.

CONS
Most are structured on wealth.
It creates societal divisions.
It decreases diversity.
THANK
YOU!