THEOCRACY AND PLUTOCRACY

By Dominic Morgan

THEOCRACY
A system of government in which priests rule in the name of God or a god.

A form of government in which God or a deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler, the God's or deity's laws being interpreted by the ecclesiastical authorities.
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 centres that centre on devotion to his will and legacy.

PLUTOCRACY
A government by the wealthy. A government which is influenced by rich people quite substantially. Before the equal voting rights movement managed to end it in the early 20th century, many countries used a system where rich persons had more votes than poor. A factory owner may for instance have had 2000 votes while a worker had one, or if they were very poor no right to vote at all. Even artificial persons such as companies had voting rights.