- Democracy is the rule of the people. Representatives of the people are chosen from a free and unrestricted electoral process. Those popularly chosen agents then make and enforce laws. The citizens of democracies usually abstain from special castes, and enjoy equal rights and privileges. Democracies are also republics, which is any form of government not headed by a king, queen of some other monarch. Examples of democracies include the United States, France, and Mexico.
- Democracies can be organized in basically two way. One is the presidential system and the second is the parliamentary system. In the former, a president is elected directly by the people to lead the government. In the latter, the people elect members to the legislative branch who, in turn, then pick a person from within their body to lead the government. This person is known as the Prime Minister. The United States follows the presidential model while Great Britain follows the parliamentary one.
- A monarchy is a government headed by a king or queen. Power is not bestowed by the people but is inherited. At the death of the monarch, power is transferred to the leader's son or daughter. Monarchies were common many years ago but are very rare today. Saudi Arabia is one of but a few existing today. Great Britain is an example of a parliamentary monarchy. The queen is the ostensible head of the country and presides over ceremonial functions, but the actual power of governing rests with the elected parliament.
- Dictatorship is the rule of one person or a group of people, a clique, a junta or party. The dictator's power is absolute and tyrannical. Voting within dictatorships is non-existent or a sham. The dictator retains power through violence and intimidation. Dictatorships sometimes try to maintain a patina of respectability by calling themselves Democratic Republics. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is ruled by dictator Kim Jong-il.
Democracy
Types of Democracy
Monarchy
Dictatorship
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