Government Regimes

Modern Political Concepts

5th October 2020
Solano Da Silva

1
Objective >

To understand the major types of political

regimes/government systems in the modern world

1. Five broad categories

2. Authoritarianism and Totalitarianism

3. Sub-types of each category

2
1. BROAD CATEGORIES >>

Autocracy

Theocracy

Monarchy

Republican

Anarchy/Anarchism

3
1. BROAD CATEGORIES >>
1. Anarchy
o State without a government.
1. Anarchism
o Ideology that society can have order without
governments

2. Republican
o The state is led by representatives who are periodically
elected by the citizens:
• Popular constitution
• Representative institutions of government
• Universal suffrage

4
1. BROAD CATEGORIES >>

3. Monarchy
o Power is held by a King/Queen/Sultan/Emir or
Emperor(ess).
o Hereditary transfer of power.
o Power is held by the ruling family.

4. Theocracy
o The state is Governed by ecclesiastic authorities or
religious leaders.
o Government is subject to religious authorities.

5
1. BROAD CATEGORIES >>

5. Autocracy
o Government is controlled by a single person (who is not
a monarch) or group (political party or military)
o ...who have unlimited power.
• Uncontrolled by legal or regularised mechanisms.
o Also referred to as: dictatorship.

6
2. AUTHORITARIANISM & TOTALITARIANISM >>
Authoritarianism

o Style of government leadership: favoring blind submission

to authority, favoring concentration of power in a leader or
an elite.

o According to Juan Linz:

• Ill-defined or vague executive power.
• Constraints on political institutions and groups.
• Legitimacy of regimes on emotive basis; necessary to
deal with external threats, internal insurgency,
corruption or development.

7
2. AUTHORITARIANISM & TOTALITARIANISM >>

Autocratic

Theocratic

Monarchy
Authoritarian
Republican

Anarchy/Anarchism

8
2. AUTHORITARIANISM & TOTALITARIANISM >>
Totalitarianism totalitario
‘Everything within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing
against the state’ - B. Mussolini

o Seeks to control almost every aspect of public life and of

private life, if possible.

o Juan Linz:
o Exclusive intellectual ideology used by the ruling elite with
vision of ultimate utopia.
o Mobilisation of citizens towards active support to the
ruling regime.
o Independent civil society suppressed.
9
2. AUTHORITARIANISM & TOTALITARIANISM >>
TOTALITARIANISM

o Employment of modern technologies and techniques of

organisation to enforce total control of the population.
• Official ideology is all pervasive.

o Modern communication monopolised to control

information and generate enthusiasm of population
(extreme nationalism).

o Cult of personality/party.

o Use of terror.
10
2. AUTHORITARIANISM & TOTALITARIANISM >>

Autocracy

Totalitarianism
Theocracy

Monarchy

Republican

Anarchy

11
3. SUB-TYPES > 3.1. REPUBLICAN >>

Presidential
Parliamentary

Republican Monarchy Theocratic Autocratic

Hybrid
One-party

Consociational

12
3. SUB-TYPES > 3.1. REPUBLICAN >>

1. Presidential
• People directly elect the Head of State & Head of
Government; independent legislature and judiciary.

2. Parliamentary
• Separate Head of State (nominal) who appoints Head of
the Government. People vote for parties.

3. Hybrid
• Dual executive people elect president who appoints PM.

13
3. SUB-TYPES > 3.1. REPUBLICAN >>

4. Consociational
• Significant minorities along with majority represented in
government. C.f. Majoritarian democracy.

5. One-party democracy
• People elect from a list of nominees but all from one party.

14
3. SUB-TYPES > 3.2. MONARCHY >>

Absolute

Republican Monarchy Theocratic Autocratic

Constitutional

15
3. SUB-TYPES > 3.2. MONARCHY >>

1. Absolute Monarchy
• Form of government where there is an absolute hereditary
ruler.
 E.g. Brunei, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia & Swaziland.

2. Constitutional Monarchy
• Monarch acts as the head of the state and acts within the
parameters set by the constitution.

16
3. SUB-TYPES > 3.2. MONARCHY >>

Absolute

Republican Monarchy Theocratic Autocratic

Constitutional

Ceremonial Executive

17
3. SUB-TYPES > 3.2. MONARCHY >>

2. Constitutional Monarchy

2.1. Executive Monarchy

• Monarch wields significant though not absolute power.
 E.g. Bahrain, UAE, Liechtenstein, Monaco,
Morocco, Jordan & Kuwait.

2.2. Ceremonial Monarchy

• The Monarch holds little actual power.
 E.g. UK, Canada, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands,
Malaysia, Sweden, Spain & Thailand

18
3. SUB-TYPES > 3.3. THEOCRACY >>

Iran

Republican Monarchy Theocratic Autocratic

Vatican

19
3. SUB-TYPES > 3.3. THEOCRACY >>

• A form of government in which a deity is recognized as the

supreme civil ruler, but the deity's laws are interpreted by
ecclesiastical authorities (bishops, mullahs, etc.)

• A government subject to religious authority.

• E.g. Iran, Vatican City & Afghanistan (under the Taliban)

20
3. SUB-TYPES > 3.4. AUTOCRATIC-AUTHORITARIAN >>

Military Electoral

Republican Monarchy Autocratic

Civilian

Dominant
Personalistic Party
21
3. SUB-TYPES > 3.4. AUTOCRATIC-AUTHORITARIAN >>
1. Military dictatorship

• Key role of the armed forces in controlling government.

• Political power is held by a military dictator or by a military

elite (junta): Burma, Bangladesh & Pakistan (under military
rule).

• Mostly present themselves as temporary/transitional.

• Claim to be ‘non-political’ and ‘non-partisan’ and

committed to national interest.

• Some regimes are more far reaching; replacing heads of

multiple institutions with members from armed forces. 22
3. SUB-TYPES > 3.4. AUTOCRATIC-AUTHORITARIAN >>
2. Civilian dictatorship

• Key role of civilian dictators.

 Personalistic dictatorship: Turkmenistan & Zimbabwe
 Dominant-Party dictatorship: China & Vietnam

• Mostly claim to either continue with democracy or are

preparing the way for democracy.
• Deliberate manipulation of the democratic system.
• Ban opposition: terrorists, fundamentalists, communists,
foreign agents, anti-nationals, etc.
• Patronage for supporters.
• Sometimes start as military dictatorship which subsequently
is ‘civilised’ by creating civilian government.
23
3. SUB-TYPES > 3.4. AUTOCRATIC-AUTHORITARIAN >>
3. Electoral dictatorship

• More than one political party but elections not free.

• Incomplete civil liberties
• Emphasise on economic growth and social harmony.

24
3. SUB-TYPES > 3.5. AUTOCRATIC-TOTALITARIANISM >>

Germany: Nazism

Republican Monarchy Theocratic Autocratic-Totalitarian

Soviet: Stalin

25
3. SUB-TYPES > 3.5. TOTALITARIANISM >>
1. Germany: Nazism
• Kept many aspects of existing German state intact but
grafted new institutions on to it.
• Cult of the individual: loyalty to the Fuhrer.
• Propaganda to boost national pride.
• Economy was kept intact but started using slave labour
from Jews and occupied territories.
• Programs of mass extermination.

2. Soviet: Stalin
• Total control of the government after re-modelling it
according to communist ideology.
• Total control of the economy after totally re-modelling it.
• Use of terror: secret police and concentration camps.
26
REFERENCES

• Tansey, S. D. (2000) ‘States’ Politics: The Basics (2nd ed.) London:

Routledge, pp. 141 – 175.

• Siaroff, Alan (2008) Comparing Political Regimes: A Thematic

Introduction to Comparative Politics 2nd Ed., New York: University of
Toronto Press.

27