Forms of Government: Anarchy

The immediate onset of the French Revolution has been often referred to as a time of anarchy. Freetown Christiania in Denmark claims to be a current community of anarchy.

The symbol for anarchy is an encircled letter “A.” Often the colors of red, black, & white are also associated with anarchy.

Wikipedia states, "Anarchists are those who advocate the absence of the state, arguing that common sense would allow people to come together in agreement to form a functional society allowing for the participants to freely develop their own sense of morality, ethics or principled behavior.”

Most people refer to anarchy as complete lawlessness, renegade, rebellious, chaos, lack of control but those who promote anarchy prefer to think of it as “an anti-statist society that is based on the spontaneous order of free individuals in autonomous communities.”


“Our government teaches the whole people by its example. If the government becomes the lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy.” -- Louis D. Brandeis (American Supreme Court Justice; 1856-1941)

Forms of Government: Republic

The term “republic,” through history & today, represents many different ideologies. It was first used by Niccolo Machiavelli to refer to any government not ruled by a monarch but by the people.

Most republics name a President as the head of state. The U.S. was the first to use this title. The President is usually elected to the office by the people. According to Wikipedia, “In states with a parliamentary system the president is usually elected by the parliament.”

In political systems referred to as “crowned republics,” there is a hereditary monarchy but the power of the monarchy is relatively ceremonial & most of the real political power resides in the elected officials.

Some countries claim to be a republic yet operate more like a monarchy, such as in the case of North Korea & Syria. In these states, the leader has assumed absolute power &, even though there is no constitutional requirement, the title seems to be being passed down from father to son.

Elective monarchy, such as in Malaysia & the Holy Roman Empire, are rare today but were not uncommon in the past. These forms of government give the leader full authority but are elected by the people, sometimes for life & sometimes for a set period of time.

Since adding “Republic” in the name of a country is awfully popular nowadays, many countries have come up with descriptive words to better describe the system in which they adhere to. I have already described a “parliamentary republic” above. Another example would be a “federal republic” or “confederation” or “federation.” Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Germany, India, Russia, & Switzerland follow this system. It can be described as “a federal union of states or provinces with a republican form of government.”

Islamic countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, & Iran are all ruled by Islamic law & are referred to as “Islamic republics.”

“Democratic republic” seems to be the preferred moniker that communist countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo & the former German Democratic Republic tend to use in order to insist they are democratic.

China & North Korea like to use the term “people’s republic” to mean that they are directed for & by “the people,” however this is typically done by indirect elections.

Wikipedia states:

“States of the United States are required, like the federal government, to be a republican in form, with final authority resting with the people. This was required because the states were intended to create & enforce most domestic laws, with the exception of areas delegated to the federal government & prohibit to the states. The founding fathers of the country intended most domestic laws to be handled by the states, although, over time, the federal government has gained more & more influence over domestic law. Requiring the states to be a republic in form was seen as protecting the citizens’ rights & preventing a state from becoming a dictatorship or monarchy, & reflected unwillingness on the part of the original 13 states (all independent republics) to unite with other states that were not republics. Additionally, this requirement ensured that only other republics could join the union.”

Quotes about the Republic:

“Yes, we did produce a near-perfect republic. But will they keep it? Or will they, in the enjoyment of plenty, lose the memory of freedom? Material abundance without character is the path of destruction.” Thomas Jefferson (3rd President of the United States & author of the Declaration of Independence; 1762-1826)

“This republic was not established by cowards; and cowards will not preserve it.” Elmer Davis (American radio announcer & news commentator; 1890-1958)

“That book [Bible], sir, is the rock on which our republic rests.” Andrew Jackson (7th President of the United States; 1767-1845)

“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” The Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag

“Every citizen of the republic ought to consider himself an unofficial policeman, and keep unsalaried watch and ward over the laws and their execution.” Mark Twain (American humorist, writer, & lecturer; 1835-1910)

Forms of Government: Democracy

This form of government we hear about all the time. Democracy means “rule by the people or the majority.” This was a common form of government in the Greek city-states between the 5th & 4th centuries BC.

Surprisingly enough, there is no universally acknowledged definition of democracy but, according to Economist.com “most observers today would agree that at a minimum, the fundamental features of a democracy include government based on majority rule & the consent of the governed, the existence of free & fair elections, the protection of minorities & respect for basic human rights.”

Democracy originated in Ancient Greece but every society that has instilled this form of government has added it’s own spin on the ideology leading to numerous democratic systems. A representative democracy involves a group of representatives & a head of state being elected by a majority. These representatives are elected to act on the behalf of their constituent’s beliefs & interests but they do have the freedom to use their “best judgment.” A representative democracy can be further broken down into a parliamentary democracy & a liberal or constitutional democracy.

Another form of democracy is a direct democracy. With this form, the representatives are eliminated. The people vote on all issues. Historically, this type hasn’t really worked & had to be limited to smaller groups of people. However, California now uses this form to run their state. I personally believe this may grow in popularity or at least become a more possible option with the advancement of technology, communication, & transportation in today’s culture. There are many other forms but those are probably the two most common forms.

Democracy is not the “holy grail” of government ideologies, however. There are many criticisms of democracy. One such criticism is that voters tend to be very uninformed on the issues such as the economy. People (like I’ve stated previously & including myself) tend to be lazy & not want to study even the basics of politics. This is where lobbyists & the media can influence the people. This is a bit of a evil cycle, here. We have to rely on the media to tell us what is going on in D.C. but, nowadays media doesn’t just report the facts. Their political leanings tend to infiltrate or even guide their reporting causing their viewers to be influenced unless they are aware of what is going on. So watch, but watch with discernment.

Another serious criticism was brought up by Plato in his The Republic. He claimed that
democracy grants the people too much freedom eventually leading to mob rule/tyranny. Our forefathers were not stupid & tried to prevent this by creating the Constitution that would limit the powers of what a majority could impose.

According to Wikipedia “Traditional Asian cultures, in particular that of Confucian & Islamic thought, believe that democracy results in the people’s distrust & disrespect of governments or religious sanctity.” They believe that it eventually leads to a moral decay of the society. And, you know what? I can certainly see this happening today in our own country.

Other concerns include: political instability, short-termism, slow governmental response, & vote buying.


Links of interest:

• Democracy at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Democracy
• American Thinker: How Democracies Become Tyrannies -- A great article about Plato’s “The Republic” in comparison to what is going on in our country today.

Forms of Government: Oligarchy

Oligarchy essentially means the “rule of the few.” This can be in the form of a family, royalty, military similar to a military dictatorship, the wealthy, intellectuals similar to a technocracy. According to Wikipedia, “Oligarchies have been tyrannical throughout history, being completely reliant on public servitude to exist.”

Oligarchies commonly tend to be a transitional government from a monarchy or dictatorship to another form of “power-sharing” government. Some examples of oligarchy societies most of the city-states in Greece between 1000 & 500 BC, the Etruscans, the Roman Republic, & a more recent form would be South Africa during the apartheid in which race was the requirement for the “caste system.”

A theory known as “iron law of oligarchy” states that “any political system eventually evolves into an oligarchy” & that “modern democracies should be considered as elected oligarchies.”

Forms of Government: Monarchy

Monarchy is a form of government that is ruled by one person. That person is usually referred to as a king/queen, prince/princess, emperor/empress, or duke/grand duke/duchess. This was the most common form of leadership in ancient & medieval times & continues to be a common form today. According to Wikipedia, there are currently 44 nations that have this form of government, 16 of which are Commonwealth nations of Britain.

Most postings to monarch are inherited but some, as in the case of the Pope in the Vatican, are elected.

Now, there are different degrees of monarchy. The most strict type is absolute monarchy. With this form, the monarch has complete authority over every aspect of his subject’s lives. There is no constitution or legal restriction over this monarch. Some examples of this type of rule would be Louis XIV of France, the Tsars of Russia (until 1905), and James I & Charles I of England. Some of the nations that claim absolute monarchy today include Vatican City, Swaziland, Brunei, Oman, Qatar, & Saudi Arabia.

Another form of monarchy is constitutional monarchy. As the name states, with this type of monarchy, the leader must act within the parameters of a constitution or rule of law. According to Wikipedia, “Most constitutional monarchies employ a parliamentary system in which the monarch is the ceremonial head of state & a directly- or indirectly-elected prime minister is the head of government & exercises effective political power.” Countries that use this form of government include Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Thailand & the UK.

Forms of Government

I've decided to do a bit of research (because I'm that kind of nerd) on the main forms of government around the world. I will be posting a series of entries based on what I find. Don't expect much, this isn't an exhaustive study. More of a quick Wikipedia or search on these types of rule. My entries will be short. Just a basic over view. I may expand later on certain topics but for now, I just want to be general.

With all that is going on in our country & world today, maybe it is time to understand where we came from, where we are, & where we may be headed. I've never been big into politics but over the past year, starting with last year's Presidential election & the extreme moral decline of our nation that is becoming more & more evident every day, I have become greatly interested in politics & a desire to learn more about what is happening today & what has lead to this decay.

Here are the types of government I plan on addressing:

• Monarchy
• Oligarchy
• Democracy
• Republic
• Anarchy

After that, I would like to cover a couple of other ideologies including:

• Communism
• Socialism
• Capitalism

And, after that, I plan on covering the main political parties in America (there are way more but these are the top 5, I'll list & link to some of the other parties just because some of them are so hilarious like the Marijuana party...LOL):

• Democratic party
• Republican party
• Libertarian party
• Constitutional party
• Green party
  

I get into debates & hear others arguing quite often & I am struck by how ignorant some of these people are & no matter how passionate they may be of their beliefs, their arguments are ineffective due to their lack of knowledge &/or skills of debate. I'm not saying these people are not intelligent people, they either just don't know how to debate effectively or have not gathered the facts. I have even fallen into this trap myself before. I may be right but because I haven't studied the topic, I actually do more harm to my side because I appear as an ignorant fool. This goes for any area that you may debate whether it is politics, religion, food, movies, interior decorating, whatever topic you enjoy. So, here is a bit of my attempt to learn more. It may be very elementary but one can't run a marathon if one has never even walked. I guess this will be my Couch-to-5K of politics. :)

Our President reaches new lows

In case you haven't heard, Obama is now asking citizens to report anyone who disagrees with his idea of health care to the White House. Whether it be in the form of emails, blogs, web sites, or casual conversation, you can now be reported to the White House by some tattle-tale.

Geeze people, really, how old are we?

Not only is his idea of health care ridiculous but now he has decided to take away our freedom of speech, press, & protest. It has only been a few months since he has taken office & already he has began to act like a socialist dictator. I'm scared to death to see what this country will look like at the end of this year. Can you imagine what it will look like at the end of his ruling...that is if he decided to relinquish it.

Maybe I should report myself. :)

Here are a couple of articles that discuss what I am talking about but much better than I do.

Go Ahead and Report Me -- I'll Shout Louder

White House Website Asking for Informants on Anti-Healthcare Advocates