FORMS OF GOVERNMENT

Lesson 5
"Let us never forget that government is
ourselves and not an alien power over
us. The ultimate rulers of our
democracy are not a President and
senators and congressmen and
government officials, but the voters of
this country."
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
Some countries are ruled by one person; others
by a group. There are leaders chosen by the
people; there are those who became leaders by
birthright. There are persons or groups who are
given all the powers to manage the government
and the country; while in other places, power is
divided among individuals.
• This lesson discusses the different forms of
government and their functions. By evaluating
the strengths and weaknesses of each form of
government, we can also explore the
possibilities of improving the current system of
government in the country.
• The history of mankind has shown that the
government, as the physical manifestation of
political power in society, is also prone to the
dynamic changes in society. This explains why
governments take different forms. The form of
government is essentially determined by the number
of rulers, the way power is exercised by these rulers,
and the ideologies that guide the government.
• It was in ancient Greece that the forms of government
that we know today were founded, such as democracy
(the rule of the people or the many), oligarchy (the rule
of the privileged few), and tyranny (the rule of one
individual). At present, there are different terms being
used to refer to different types of regimes like
constitutional monarchy, guided democracy, and
communist rule but they are basically under democracy,
oligarchy, and tyranny.
• It is interesting to note that Aristotle considered the three
forms of government as examples of bad governments. In
Politics, he included the "good" version of each form of
“bad" government. Kingship or monarchy for Aristotle is the
good version of tyranny because the leader rules the people
with wisdom and virtue, unlike tyranny, where the leader is
possessed with extreme desire to improve and empower
himself/herself rather than promote welfare to his/her
constituents.
•Aristocracy, as the rule of the
privileged few, is seen by Aristotle as
the good version of oligarchy because
those who are in power belong to the
upper class, thus the assumption of
virtue.
• Polity is the good version of democracy. While
polity is essentially the same as democracy as the
rule of the people in general, it stresses however
the involvement of the middle class in ruling,
which is its crucial character. The middle class is
important because, according to Aristotle, they
make up most of society; thus, they represent the
greater interest.
 OTHER FORMS OF GOVERNMENT ARE AS
FOLLOWS:
1. Monarchy vs. Republic. Both forms have an
individual holding the power as head of state
While monarchy is ruled by king and is
hereditary, a republic is usually ruled by a
president chosen by the people through election.
(Center of Constitutional Dialogue 2009).
• 2. Autocracy vs. Democracy. In autocracy, power is
held by a single, self-appointed ruler; its absolute
form being the dictatorship. In democracy, on the
other hand, power resides with the people as they
have the ability to select their leader and directly or
indirectly involve themselves in politics and
governance
• (Center of Constitutional Dialogue 2009).
• 3. Unitary State vs. Federal State. A unitary state has a
central government holding power with the capability to
delegate or take back authority and function to and from
lower levels or offices. A federal state has a central
government with the main function of uniting several self-
governing states or regions. The central government in a
federal state cannot duly interfere or immediately alter the
laws of the member states
• (Center of Constitutional Dialogue 2009).
• Theocracy is also another form of government that is composed
of the joint rule of the church and the state or the domination of
the state by the church (Baradat 1997). The Philippines is essentially a
democratic country. Throughout our history, however, only a few
individuals or the elites have been instrumental to the forging of
the country's political character. Involvement of the middle class is
not clearly manifested in any significant political agendas of the
government.
end