Mohammad Alauddin

1

Welcome to the Presentation
Forms of Government

• Mohammad Alauddin
• MSS in Government and Politics
• MPA in Governance and Public Policy
  
• Deputy Secretary
• mohammad_alauddin_at_yahoo.com

CSC Dhaka February 14, 2010
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Introduction

• Governments vary widely in the nature of their
  organization, in the extent of the authority that
  they exercise, in the relations among their
  various organs and in many other ways. For
  purposes of classification the essential problem
  is to find the fundamental bases of distinction
  that will be, from the political point of view,
  scientific in nature and of practical value.

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Forms Of Government

• Aristotle's classification of states is based on
  two principles (i) the number of persons who
  exercises supreme power and (ii) the ends they
  seek to serve self interest or benefit of the
  community.
• Aristotles classification is given in the
  following table.

Normal Perverted
Rule by one Monarchy Tyranny
Rule by a few Aristocracy Oligarchy
Rule by many Polity Democracy
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Forms Of Government

• Modern Governments
• Despotic Democratic
• Limited Monarchy
  Republic
• Unitary Federal
  
  Unitary
  Federal
• Parliamentary
  Non Parliamentary
  Parliamentary Non
  Parliamentary
• Parliamentary Non-Parliamentary
  
  Parliamentary
  Non-Parliamentary

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Monarchy

• Monarchy represents that form of government
  where the source of all political authority is to
  be found in a supreme ruler. The Monarch enjoys a
  life-long tenure and the office passes to his
  heirs according to the law of primogeniture. The
  institution of Monarchy is the product of history
  and this was popular till the nineteenth century.
  

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Monarchy

• Monarchy may be of two types
• Absolute Monarchy
• Absolute Monarchy has existed both in the East
  and in the West up to very recent times .In the
  East, the leading example of a government of this
  character was that of Japan. In the West, the
  most important examples of governments resting on
  an absolute basis were those of Russia before the
  Revolution of 1947, and Germany immediately
  before the adoption of the Weimar Constitution of
  1919.

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Monarchy

• Limited Monarchy
• Limited Monarchy is that type of government in
  which the authority of the Monarch is limited
  either by the prescriptions of a written
  constitution or by certain fundamental
  conventions as in Britain.

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Aristocracy

• Aristocracy is that form of government which is
  conducted by a small section of society. They
  are the best men of the community and they are
  prompted by the most virtuous principles.
  Aristos, in Greek, means the best and kratos
  means power. Aristocracy, therefore, according to
  Greek philosophers, was a form of government par
  excellence. Many writers, from Plato and
  Aristotle down believed that aristocracy was the
  best form of government, provided that the ruling
  class was composed of those most competent to
  govern and that they exercised their power for
  the good of all and not for their own self
  interests.

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Merits of Aristocracy

• One of the great merits of aristocracy is that it
  emphasizes quality and not quantity. It assumes
  that some are better fitted than others to govern
  than others.
• Aristocracy can claim superiority over other
  forms of government in respect of stability and
  efficiency, and thus, can maintain consistent and
  vigorous policy both in domestic and foreign
  affairs.
• Aristocracy is a reservoir which conserves
  experience and transmits wisdom to the present as
  well as future.

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Demerits of Aristocracy

• The weakness of aristocracy lies in the
  difficulty of fixing a sound and just principle
  for the selection of the group or class that is
  to exercise political power and of securing
  adequate guarantees that the group in power will
  not use their authority for the furtherance of
  their own interests rather than for the general
  good.
• All aristocracies tend to be narrow and
  exclusive, to develop arrogance and class pride,
  and to be conservative to the extent of retarding
  progress.

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Democracy

• The term democracy is derived from the Greek
  words, demos and kratos, the former meaning
  the people and the latter power. Democracy, thus
  , means power of the people. It is now regarded
  as a form of government in which the people rule
  themselves, either directly or indirectly through
  their representatives. Definitions of democracy
  as a form of government, are various.

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Democracy

• Democracy, according to Greeks, is the
  government in which people rule over themselves.
  In the words of President Abraham Lincoln, it is
  a government of the people, by the people and for
  the people. According to Lord Brice, Democracy
  is that form of government in which the ruling
  power of a state is legally vested, not in any
  particular class or classes but in the members of
  a community as a whole. Prof. Seeley says,
  Democracy is a government in which everybody has
  a share.

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Democracy

• There are two types of democracy (1)Pure or
  Direct and (2) Indirect or Representative.
• A form of democracy in which all members of a
  political community participate directly in the
  decision making process is called pure or direct
  democracy. Direct democracy was established in
  ancient Greek city states. Today when large and
  complex societies have emerged and when area of
  the state is very extensive, direct democracy is
  impracticable.

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Democracy

• In representative or indirect democracies
  citizens elect representatives who then govern,
  and popular participation is limited primarily to
  voting in local and national elections. The
  people exercise minimal, if in fact any,
  political power and real political power is
  confined to elected political activists and
  elites. In representative democracies political
  freedom and participation tends to be measured in
  terms of individual freedoms, civil liberties and
  political rights.

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Democracy

• These include freedom of association, movement,
  speech, speech, information voting rights and
  freedom of conscience. There are considerable
  limits to the levels of political participation
  and direct involvement of the people in
  representative democracies. Thus, minimal
  definition of present-day democracy as a
  political system may be one which states that a
  political system is democratic if the entire
  adult population have the opportunity to
  participate in decision-making in that society,
  and to enjoy legal, political and civil
  protection of individual rights and freedoms.
  

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Democracy

• Allen Ball has identified the following features
  of democratic system
• There is more than one political party competing
  for political power.
• The competition for power is open, not secretive
  and is based on established and accepted forms of
  procedure.
• Entry and recruitment to positions of political
  power are relatively open.
• There are periodic elections based on universal
  franchise.

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Democracy

• Pressure groups are able to operate to influence
  government decisions. Associations such as trade
  unions and other voluntary organizations are not
  subject to close governmental control.
• Civil liberties, such as freedom of speech,
  religion, freedom from arbitrary arrest, are
  recognized and protected within the political
  system. This assumes that there is substantial
  amount of independence and freedom from
  government control of the mass media.
• There is some form of separation of powers, i.e.,
  a representative assembly has some form of
  control over the executive and judiciary is
  independent both executive and legislature.

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Democracy

• G. Bingham Powell, Jr. observes that a
  democratic government to be called democratic
  must meet the following basic requirements
• legitimacy of the government is based on the
  assertion that it represents the will of its
  citizens (consent),
• the basis of this legitimacy is arrived at
  through competitive political elections with a
  minimum requirement of at least two political
  parties (elections),

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Democracy

• most of the people attaining a certain age can
  participate in the elections both as a voter as
  well as candidate (contesting elections),
• voting is free and secret (free voting), and
• citizens and political leaders have the basic
  freedom of speech, press, assembly and
  organization (fundamental and civic rights).

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Merits of Democracy

• It pays special attention to the interests of
  common man.
• It is based on equality.
• It is the greater upholder of the lofty ideals
  of liberty and fraternity.
• It is based on public opinion.
• It minimizes the chances of revolution.
• It gives political education to the people.
• It raises the moral slandered of the people.
• It promotes patriotism and national unity and
  creates the interest of the people in
  administration.
• It is most suitable social, economic, political
  and religious reforms.

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Demerits of Democracy

• Democracy is the rule of incompetent persons.
• Democracy gives more importance to the quantity
  rather than to quality.
• In democracy administration is very costly.
• Capitalists exercise a dominant influence upon
  democracy.
• In the democracy there is the rule of majority
  which become unjust sometimes.
• Political parties spoil the harmonious
  atmosphere and corruption becomes rampant.
• Sometimes the government is not stable in a
  democracy.
• Local conflicts are predominant in democracy
  which harm national interests.
• It proves weak in times of war and crisis.

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Democracy

• Democracy, no doubt, has its own defects, but no
  government is a panacea for all human ills. This
  is better than other forms of governments. John
  Stuart Mill says, After giving full weight to
  all that appeared to me well grounded in the
  arguments against democracy. I unhesitatingly
  decided in its favor.

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Dictatorship

• Dictatorship refers to government by one ruler.
  Usually associated with arbitrary rule, dictators
  may be constitutionally appointed. Under the
  ancient Roman Republic a dictator could be
  appointed by the senate and the popular assembly
  in a national emergency but only for six months.
  Modern dictatorships are of dubious
  constitutionality. According to Ford,
  Dictatorship is the assumption of extra-legal
  authority by the head of the state.

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Dictatorship

• Alfred says Dictatorship is the government of
  one man who has not obtained his position by
  inherence but either by force or consent, and
  normally by a combination of both. He must
  possess absolute sovereignty. All political
  powers must ultimately emanate from his will and
  it must be unlimited in scope. It must be
  exercised more or less frequently in an arbitrary
  manner by decree rather than by law. Finally, it
  must not be incompatible with absolute rule.

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Dictatorship

• From Alfred Cobons analysis it is revealed that
  main features of dictatorship are
• This is one mans rule
• This is based on force or consent or a mixture
  of both
• The dictator is not responsible to any other
  authority
• His powers are unlimited
• The dictator runs the administration
  authoritatively and not according to law and
• His tenure is not fixed.

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Dictatorship

• Between 1919 and 1939 there was great reaction
  against democracy in many countries and
  dictatorship was established in many countries of
  the world. In Turkey, Kamal Pasa, established his
  dictatorship in 1921and he remained in power till
  death in 1939. Benito Mussolini abolished
  democracy in Italy in 1922 and became a dictator.
  In 1933, Adolf Hitler established his
  dictatorship in Germany and he remained in power
  till 1944.

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Dictatorship

• Lenin established the dictatorship of Communist
  Party in Russia after the revolution of 1917.
  After the Second World War, China, Yugoslavia,
  Bulgaria, Rumania, Hungary, Poland
  Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Finland and
  Lithuania (Eastern Europe) also established the
  dictatorship of the Communist Party but now most
  of the countries have opted for democracy. At
  present, in South Asia we see military
  dictatorship in Burma.

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Causes of the Rise of Dictatorship

• Outbreak of the First World War
• The First World War broke out in 1914. In order
  to conduct the war successfully even in
  democratic countries, the executive captured all
  the powers of the government and Parliament were
  pushed aside. There was no regard for the freedom
  and rights of the people. As such, democracy
  received a severe setback.

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Causes of the Rise of Dictatorship

• The treaty of Versailles of 1919 was based upon
  injustice.
• According to this treaty (Paris Pact), Germany
  was bifurcated into two parts and they were
  handed over to France, Czechoslovakia, Denmark,
  Poland and League of Nations. Besides, a sum of
  6600 million was imposed as War-Indemnity on
  Germany. This compelled the people of Germany to
  think that only a strong government could bring
  about unification of the country and payment
  reparation could be avoided. Thus Hitler assumed
  power in 1933.

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Causes of the Rise of Dictatorship

• Incompetence of democratic governments
• After World War I democratic government were
  established in Germany and Italy. They had to
  face many crises from the very beginning. There
  was the problem of the unification of the
  motherland and Economic Depression in Germany. In
  Germany the Jews were traitors and they advanced
  money at a high rate of interest to France during
  the war. Communists were encouraging civil war on
  all sides and they were resorting to strikes.
  This hit the economy very badly.

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Causes of the Rise of Dictatorship

• The democratic government of Germany could not
  do anything between 1920 and 1933. At last
  Hitlers Nazi Party came to power, and it was
  determined to root out all these evils. In Italy
  too democratic government was established after
  World War I, but this could not solve the
  political and economic problem. Thus Benito
  Mussolini ended the democratic government with
  the help of his Fascist Party and solved the
  political and economic problems his own ability
  and strength.

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Causes of the Rise of Dictatorship

• Lack of Democratic Traditions
• There was a lack of democratic traditions in
  Italy, Germany, Russia, Portugal and Spain. The
  people became restive and they transferred al
  their rights to dictators.
• Inability to Ensure Economic Liberty
• In Russia, before 1917 revolution, Czar Nicholas
  II was the ruler. He failed to take effective
  steps for the economic prosperity of the people.
  At the time of October revolution the Communists
  promised to remove economic disparities and
  guaranteed livelihood to all, with the result
  that the Communist revolution took place in
  Russia and the Communist Party established its
  dictatorship.

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Features of Dictatorship

• Absoluteness of the state.
• No distinction is made between and society
• Suspension of fundamental rights and liberties
• Belief in violence and force
• Opposition is not allowed to exist
• Emphasis on obedience to authority, strict
  discipline and realization of full responsibility
• Control over press and radio
• Dictators ignore the international public
  opinion

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Merits of Dictatorship

• Establishment of a strong government
• Stable and efficient government
• Economic Prosperity
• Social reforms
• Facing the crisis boldly

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Demerits of Dictatorship

• Curtailment of the rights and liberties of the
  people.
• Establishment of absolute government.
• Dictators lead the country to war.
• Dictators do not leave behind capable
  successors.
• No importance of individual.
• Fear of rebellion and revolution.

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Q A
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References

• Agrawal, R. C.(2005), Political Theory, New
  Delhi Chand Company Ltd.
• Kapur, A.C.(2000), Principles of Political
  Science, New Delhi Chand Company Ltd