Forms of government

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Revision as of 13:48, 22 June 2021 by Bromley (talk | contribs) (→‎Modern variations of Greek terms: fixing expand quote)


Distribution of Power[edit | edit source]

  • open v. closed societies


Forms of Government[edit | edit source]

Greek forms of government[edit | edit source]

  • monarchy
  • aristocracy:
      • is most easily understood as a social class as opposed to a form of government
      • as a form of government is a type of oligarchy
      • will rule to protect landed interests and family lineages
    • in other oligarchies, the elites will rule to protect commercial or other interests
  • oligarchy
    • rule by elites
  • oligarchy v. aristocracy
    • students can become confused by the distinction between the two
      • oli = "many" but only in the sense of more than rule by pure Aristocratic birth
      • oli refers to spread of power to non-landed, non-hereditary elites
  • tryanny
  • democracy

Modern variations of Greek terms[edit | edit source]

  • Kleptocracy = rule by the corrupt
    • from the Greek "kléptō" for "I steal"
    • ex. "kelptomaiac" = one who steals impulsively
  • Kakistocracy = rule by the worst
    • from the Greek "kakistos" for "the worse"

click EXPAND for 1877 use of the term:

American poet James Russell Lowell, 1877:

"What fills me with doubt and dismay is the degradation of the moral tone. Is it or is it not a result of Democracy? Is ours a 'government of the people by the people for the people,' or a Kakistocracy rather, for the benefit of knaves at the cost of fools?"

from [Wikipedia]

  • Corporatocracy = rule by corporations
  • Idiocracy = rule by idiots