Types of Governments
Class 07 Social ScienceA government must create necessary rules, implement them, and ensure that everyone follows these rules. These three responsibilities are known as the functions of government.
The creation of rules is called the legislative function - these rules serve as the framework for running the country. The implementation of these rules and the administration of the country according to them is known as the executive function. Finally, ensuring that the rules are followed is referred to as the judicial function.
Democracy is defined as the ‘rule of the people’. This means that in a democracy, the people select their representatives to govern them. However, not every country uses the same method for choosing these representatives.
Key Differences Between Governments
1. Who gets to decide that ‘this is the government’?
This is the most basic difference across many types of government. Who or what says that ‘this is the government of our country’? That is, who or what gives the government its authority and power? For example, in a democracy like India, it is the people of the country who decide and are the source of authority, while in a theocracy, the source of authority is religious beliefs and the head of a religious institution.
2. How is the government formed?
In a democracy, a government is formed usually through some kind of election. While in kingdoms which have kings or queens, usually someone from within the family continues to rule and decide how the government will be set up. There are other ways of forming a government, and even in democracies there can be different kinds of elections.
3. What are the different parts of the government and what do they do?
Any government has many parts and systems, and these vary across different types of government. For example, the three functions of government - legislative, executive, and judiciary - can be performed by totally independent bodies or by the same body. The system to decide how the government will work can be written down in a book of fundamental rules of the country, called the ‘constitution’, which is what happens in most democracies.
4. What is the government working for? What goals is it trying to achieve?
Governments are designed to work towards certain values and ideals. Some governments, like the government of India, are designed to work towards equality and prosperity for all, while some other governments may be designed only for the prosperity of some families or groups.
Fundamental Principles of Democracy
Democracy is the most popular form of government in the modern world.
1. Equality in a democracy means that every person has the right to be treated equally. It also means that everyone should have equal access to facilities like education and health, and that everyone is equal before the law.
2. Freedom in democracy means that citizens have the right to make their own choices and express their opinions.
3. Representative participation means that every person has a right to choose and elect their representatives. This is done through the process of elections. Elected representatives become a part of the legislature.
4. Universal adult franchise grants every citizen (above a certain age) the right to vote to choose their representative.
5. Fundamental rights of a citizen, such as - right to equality, right to freedom of speech and expression, and right against exploitation - are all provided and protected in a democracy.
6. Independent judiciary ensures that every citizen’s fundamental rights are protected, and that laws are followed by the citizens and also by all the parts of the government.
Different Forms of Democratic Governments
1. Direct Democracy
This is a form of democracy where all the citizens of a country are directly responsible for all the rules, regulations and functions. They participate in all the decisions directly. In contemporary times, some kinds of this form are followed in a few countries, like Switzerland. The limitation of this form of government is that it is very hard to carry out in practice, particularly in larger countries.
2. Representative Democracy
This is the form of democratic government in which the people elect their representatives through universal adult franchise, just like in India. In this form of democracy, the people do not directly govern, but the government is always accountable to the people.
Elections are an integral part of representative democracy through which people can express changes in their choices as well. To accomplish this, elections happen in regular and fixed intervals of time. In India we have general elections every five years, while in the United States of America they occur every four years.
There are two forms of representative democracy:
- Parliamentary Democracy
- Presidential Democracy
Parliamentary Democracy
In this form of government, the members of the executive are also part of the legislature. For example, in India, the prime minister and the council of ministers are also members of the parliament.
The council of ministers are accountable to the legislature and continue working as long as they have the confidence of the legislature. In India, the council of ministers can continue working while they have confidence of the Lok Sabha. In this form of government, people elect the legislature but not the executive. Selected members of the legislature become ministers.
Presidential Democracy
In this form of government, the executive works independently of the legislature. The president is elected by the people. The president does not need to have the confidence of the legislature for his or her position.
Terms
Executive: The executive is the organ of the government which is responsible for implementing the law. But the process of its election is different in different countries.
Legislature: The legislature is the body of the government which is responsible for making laws. It is known by different names in different countries. In India, it is called Parliament; in the USA, it is called Congress. In most democracies, it has two houses, the Upper House and the Lower House.
Upper House and Lower House: In most countries, the Lower House is elected by direct voting and is generally more powerful than the Upper House, which is formed either by election or nomination. These Houses are known by different names in different countries. In India, the Lower House is called the Lok Sabha, and the Upper House is called the Rajya Sabha.
Separation of Power: It means that the three organs of the government - Legislature, Executive, and Judiciary - work independently and do not interfere in each other’s functions.
Other Forms of Government
1. Monarchy
A monarchy is the type of government that is ruled by a monarch. Kings and queens are called monarchs, who exercise their sovereign power. Monarchies are usually hereditary - typically, the eldest son of the ruling monarch becomes the next king.
a. Absolute Monarchy
In an absolute monarchy the monarch has complete control in the making of laws, ensuring that they are followed and adjudicating when they are not. Saudi Arabia is an example of an absolute monarchy. Here the king holds all power and governs according to Islamic law. However, he appoints a council that advises and assists him on governance, but he is not bound by the council’s advice.
b. Constitutional Monarchy
The United Kingdom or Britain is also a monarchy. The head of the state is the king or queen, but he or she has only nominal power and the real power of the executive is exercised by the prime minister. The legislative power is exercised by the parliament.
This means that all the laws are made by the elected parliament, and executive power is exercised by the Council of Ministers led by the prime minister. So while Britain has a king, it really is, today, a parliamentary democracy. This kind of monarchy is called a constitutional monarchy.
2. Theocracy
A theocracy is a form of government where the country is ruled by the rules of religion and religious leaders.
Iran, whose full official name is ‘Islamic Republic of Iran’ has a unique political system combining elements of both a theocratic and democratic governance. Their constitution is based on the fundamental principles of Islam, the country’s official religion. The Supreme Leader, who has the ultimate authority over the legislature, executive and judiciary, is selected by a group of Islamic clerics and his term is for life. There are also an elected president and a parliament that take care of everyday governance. The intent of the republic is to establish a society based on Islamic norms.
Other theocracies currently in existence include Afghanistan and Vatican City.
3. Dictatorship
A dictatorship is a form of government in which one person, or a small group possesses absolute power - they do not have any limits imposed on them by a constitution or law.
4. Oligarchy
The word ‘oligarchy’ is of Greek origin, where olígos means a few and árkhō means to rule or command. It is a type of government where a small, powerful group makes all the important decisions - usually they are wealthy families or influential people.
In some places in ancient Greece, aristocratic families ruled as oligarchies. In modern times, political commentators have observed that even some democracies show signs of oligarchy when a small group of politicians and wealthy business people hold too much influence in governance.
Why Democracy Matters
In most countries, democracy is considered to be a better form of government than others.
In a genuine democracy, the people can lead their everyday lives in the way they want. They can choose what to speak, what to wear, what beliefs to follow, and how to express themselves. All of this can be done in a democracy until and unless it harms someone else’s rights.
In a democratic government, the people choose their government. The government is accountable for protecting the rights of its people and is responsible for providing basic needs to its citizens. If the government does not perform its functions properly, the people can change their representatives through elections. This ensures that there is a constant check of what the government does. Thus, the values and ideals of the government in a democracy should focus on the well-being of all its people.