Political Systems and forms of government
Democracy
By definition means the government by people. It means that all the people should be able to have their say in one way or another in everything that affects their lives. It can be either exercised directly (by every member of a community having the possibility to enter personally his position on a particular issue into the decision making process - modern technology is able to provide this possibility for increasingly larger and larger communities), or through representatives- members of legislative bodies. This second arrangement is called Representative Democracy.
Definition by: http://www.whatisdemocracy.net/ (edited)
Definition by: http://www.whatisdemocracy.net/ (edited)
Communism
In its more general signification communism refers to any social system in which all property is owned by the group, or community, instead of by individuals. It comprises communistic anarchism, socialism, and communism in the strict sense. Communistic anarchism would abolish not only private property, but political government. Socialism means the collective ownership and management not of all property, but only of the material agencies of production. Communism in the strict sense demands that both production-goods, such as land, railways, and factories, and consumption-goods, such as dwellings, furniture, food, and clothing, should be the property of the whole community. Previous to the middle of the nineteenth century the term was used in its more general sense, even by socialists. Marx and Engels called the celebrated document in which they gave to socialism its first "scientific" expression, the "Communist Manifesto". They could scarcely do otherwise, since the wordSocialism was used for the first time in the year 1833, in England. Before long, however, most of the followers of the new movement preferred to call their economic creed Socialism and themselves Socialists. Today no socialist who believes that individuals should be allowed to retain ownership of consumption-goods would class himself as a communist. Hence the word is at present pretty generally employed in the narrower sense. Its use to designate merely common ownership of capital is for the most part confined to the uninformed, and to those who seek to injure socialism by giving it a bad name.
Theocratic Republic
A theocracy is a government operated under divine rule, or the pretense of divine rule. In practice, this term refers to a government operated by religious authorities who claim unlimited power in the name of God or other supernatural forces. There are many governments-including the United States-in which leaders invoke God, or claim to be inspired by God, or claim to obey the will of God. This does not make a government a theocracy. What makes a government a theocracy is when lawmakers actually believe that leaders are governed by the will of God, and write laws predicated on this belief. Iran and Saudi Arabia are often cited as modern examples of theocratic governments. In practice, North Korea also resembles a theocracy due to the supernatural powers attributed to Kim Jong-il; and the comparable deference he receives from other government officials, the military; and the hundreds of thousands of indoctrination centers that center on devotion to his will and legacy. There are theocratic movements in virtually every country on Earth, but true contemporary theocracies are primarily found in the Muslim world.
Federal Republic
A federal republic is a federation of states with a republican form of government. Usage of the term republic is inconsistent but it means a state or federation of states that does not have a monarch. In a federal republic, there is a division of powers between the national ("federal") government, and the government of the individual subdivisions. While each federal republic manages this division of powers differently, national security and defense, monetary policy, and other issues of a "national" scope are handled at the "federal" level while more local issues such as road and infrastructure maintenance and education policy are handled at the local level. However, views differ on what issues should be of sub-divisional governmental structures, the subdivisions also have they're say in some matters where the federal government does not have jurisdiction. This is in contrast to a unitary republic whereby the national government has complete sovereignty over all aspects of political life. In this case, regional structures of governanthe regional bodies or states on issues affecting the whole. The federal republic is a form of government used by many countries around the world and it can take almost any form- from aristocracies to democracies to tyrannies. As in the United States, many federal republics are Constitutional Republics which seek to ensure the rights of individuals and groups within the republic.
Monarchy
A monarchy is a governmental system that has one person as the permanent head of state until he or she dies or gives up his or her position. Typically, the position of a monarch is hereditary, as is the case with famous monarchies like that of the United Kingdom. The term is often used to refer to a system of government in which the monarch- such as a king or queen- has absolute authority, but many monarchies are limited or constitutional monarchies in which the monarch has restricted power and might even be mostly a figurehead rather than a ruler. There are different tipes of monarchies:
Absolute Monarchy: In an absolute monarchy, the monarch has total authority over the government and his or her people. A cabinet of advisers might be assembled to assist the monarch, but members of the cabinet do not make the major decisions. This type of monarchy has become increasingly rare, because many countries are wary of giving one person unchecked power. The levels of the citizens' happiness under absolute monarchies can vary widely.
Limited Monarchy: The monarch's power in a constitutional or limited monarchy is restricted by the country's constitution or other laws, and more political power might actually be held by a chamber of elected representatives and a prime minister. The monarch usually participates in running the nation, but he or she might have mostly ceremonial powers or might be able to act only with the approval of the prime minister and other government officials. In a constitutional democracy, the monarch is often able to veto legislation that he or she feels is contrary to the best interests of the country. The monarch might also be able to dissolve the chamber of representatives under certain circumstances.
Absolute Monarchy: In an absolute monarchy, the monarch has total authority over the government and his or her people. A cabinet of advisers might be assembled to assist the monarch, but members of the cabinet do not make the major decisions. This type of monarchy has become increasingly rare, because many countries are wary of giving one person unchecked power. The levels of the citizens' happiness under absolute monarchies can vary widely.
Limited Monarchy: The monarch's power in a constitutional or limited monarchy is restricted by the country's constitution or other laws, and more political power might actually be held by a chamber of elected representatives and a prime minister. The monarch usually participates in running the nation, but he or she might have mostly ceremonial powers or might be able to act only with the approval of the prime minister and other government officials. In a constitutional democracy, the monarch is often able to veto legislation that he or she feels is contrary to the best interests of the country. The monarch might also be able to dissolve the chamber of representatives under certain circumstances.
(All of the definitions above were edited)