Good Example Of Essay On Forms And Theories Of Government

A monarchy is essentially a government form or structure where all the power is vested in one individual. The individual is the head of state and is separated from all other state institutions (Bjørnskov and Kurrild-Klitgaard 15). Leadership is hereditary. When the ruler passes on, the mantle is automatically passed to a child or close relative of the monarch. A monarchy can be either absolute or constitutional. In absolute monarchies, rulers exercise control in all aspects of society, and often believe in a divine right to rule (Bjørnskov and Kurrild-Klitgaard 19). An example of an absolute monarchy is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In a constitutional monarchy, the monarch shares power with an elected body of officials. The roles of the monarch are mainly ceremonial in nature like in Great Britain.
A republic is a type of government in which there is no monarch. The people hold sovereign power, and they elect representatives who then exercise the power, for a specified period of time (Bjørnskov and Kurrild-Klitgaard 49). Each person in a republic has individual rights that are God-given and inalienable. The system can be fully presidential, where a president heads the executive branch of government and is independent of parliament for example in Argentina. It can also be semi parliamentary where we have both a president and a prime minister. Here, the president is usually the head of state, while the head of government is the Prime Minister. An example here is France. We can also have a parliamentary republic where a prime minister is the head of state, and government and the presidency is mainly a ceremonial office, for instance, Israel.
A dictatorship is a form of autocratic government where the political power rests in the hands of one leader, a dictator, who is usually self-appointed (Bailey 14). In a dictatorship, absolute sovereignty is in the hands of one person or a clique of people. The ruler governs without the consent of the people and usually depends on repression to remain in power (Bailey 16). Dictators can draw power from their political position, their family or even the military. Good examples of these types of government are Belarus and Syria.
Totalitarianism on its part refers to government type where the national government controls all aspects of life (Bailey 20). This includes both public and private life. There is little and in many cases no distinction or differentiation between society and government. The system is guided by an ideology that everyone is indoctrinated into all citizens. A dynamic leader heads the system, and also leads the one party that is allowed. The state employs tools such as repression and police terror as well as mass propaganda to spread its ideology (Bailey 20). An example of a totalitarian state is North Korea.
In conclusion, it is evident that many types of government exist. However, the best ones are those that allow or give their citizens freedom of choice. Primarily, people should be able to decide who they want to lead them. In monarchical, totalitarian and dictatorship forms, this is not a choice that people have. Some monarchical systems have attempted to change this by allowing for constitutional systems to be put in place. It is also no coincidence that economic success and political freedom exist in direct proportion to each other. The freer a people or a society are, the more economically developed their country is.

Works Cited

Bailey , Diane. Dictatorship. Broomall, PA: Mason Crest, 2013.
Bjørnskov, Christian and Peter Kurrild-Klitgaard. Economic Growth and Institutional Reform in Modern Monarchies and Republics: A Historical Cross-Country Perspective 1820-2000. Aarhus: Aarhus School of Business, 2008.