Problem of classification of the forms of government.
How many
and what forms of government did exist in the history of mankind? To answer this controversial question, it is
necessary to choose correctly criteria which distinguish one form of government
from another. The comparative analysis of the forms of government is a
condition for their successful classification. The form of government is a type
of the device of the Supreme power in the country. There were some attempts to make similar
classification in history of philosophy.
Aristotle's classification.
This
classification is stated in Aristotle's book of "Policy". This
classification is borrowed by Aristotle Plato
entirely, but Aristotle managed to state this classification in more systematic form.
Aristotle
called six forms of government (a kingdom, tyranny, the aristocracy, oligarchy,
an okhlocracy, democracy) which are allocated according to two criteria:
• Number of ruling persons (one, minority, majority).
• Assessment of the forms of government (bad or
good).
The kingdom is a good form of government when one good
person governs. Examples of outstanding tsars: Kodr, Cyrus, Alexander the
Great, Napoleon.
The tyranny
is a bad form of government when one bad person governs. In my opinion, Stalin
and Hitler serve as examples of tyrants. Tyrant Periandr considered that it is
necessary to tear off ears rising over others – to execute all outstanding
people. The well-known words possesses
by Aristotle: "It is better to kill the tyrant than to kill thief".
These words became the slogan of all killers by tyrants like Sofia Perovskaja and members of group
«People will» in Russia who killed Russian tsar Alexander 2 though Alexander 2
was a reformer, instead of the tyrant.
The aristocracy is a good form of government when good
exclusive minority rules.
The oligarchy is a bad form of government when bad exclusive minority rules.
Democracy is a good form of government when the good majority of the population rules.
Okhlocracy is a bad form of government when the bad majority of the population (criminal
crowd) rules when the simple people become similar to the despot. Demagogues
are able to flatter for crowd and to turn the mercenary offers into laws.
Demagogues erect charges against
officials often, and the people accept
this charges willingly so value of all officials comes to naught. And anarchy
comes at inaction of officials.
Conclusion: According to Aristotle, the aristocracy is
the best form of government. In my opinion, this conclusion was absolutely
correct only for an antiquity when representative democracy wasn't invented
yet. There was a regress in 20 century
in a number of the countries to the ancient forms of government – to oligarchy
or tyranny – in the form of a fascist regime, the Soviet power, the
fundamentalist and Islamic state. The main lack of classification of Aristotle
consists that this classification is a little obsolete since the new forms of government were invented
after Aristotle.
Classification
of Machiavelli.
There are only
two forms of government in classification of Machiavelli:
• REPUBLIC
• MONARCHY
My point of view concerning classification of the
forms of government.
In my
opinion, it is possible to make classification of five forms of government:
• TYRANNY or KINGDOM.
• ARISTOCRACY or OLIGARCHY.
• DIRECT DEMOCRACY or OKHLOCRACY.
• HEREDITARY MONARCHY.
• REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY.
This classification is made on the basis of four
criteria:
• quantity of governors or voters,
• kinds of ways of conflict for power,
• kinds of fighting groups and a place or the arena of
their fight,
• kinds of defects or shortcomings of each form of
government.
Most
important is the second criterion from these four criteria since kinds of the
social conflict and kinds of social control are the main basis for construction
of social structures.
The quantity of
governors is equal to one tyrant or the tsar under tyranny or a kingdom.
The quantity of governors is equal to privileged minority under the
aristocracy or oligarchy. The quantity
of governors is equal to the majority
of citizens under direct democracy or an okhlocracy. The quantity of governors is equal to dynastic
family under hereditary monarchy. All citizens have a right to elect and be the
electee in the conditions of representative democracy. Ways of conflict for
power are the armed capture of the power or civil war for a throne under
tyranny and a kingdom.
Way of
conflict for power is elections in privileged meeting under the aristocracy and
oligarchy. Way of conflict for power is
elections in people's assembly under direct democracy okhlocracy. Way of
conflict for power is throne transfer by inheritance without fight or palace coups
with help of quads at hereditary monarchy.
Way of conflict for power is national elections in the conditions of
representative democracy.
Kinds of
fighting groups are groups of rebels in
armies or bureaucratic cliques under tyranny and a kingdom. Kinds of fighting groups are
fractions in the senate, the Politburo or Central Committee of CPSU under the aristocracy and oligarchy. Kinds
of fighting groups are crowds led by
demagogues under direct democracy or an okhlocracy. Kinds of fighting groups
are groups of guardsmen led by representatives of a ruling dynasty or impostors
under hereditary monarchy. Kinds of fighting groups are parliamentary parties or fractions in
parliament in the conditions of representative democracy.
Kinds of defects are an arbitrariness and
abuses of tyrants and harm from civil wars for a kingdom or tyranny. Kinds of defects are a
degeneration of oligarchy and revolt of the majority deprived of civil rights
for the aristocracy or oligarchy. Kinds of defects are abuses of demagogues and
impossibility to construct this form of government in the big territory for
direct democracy or an okhlocracy. Kinds of defects are a degeneration of a
ruling dynasty and absence of election of governors for hereditary monarchy.
Representative democracy has no defects, but representative democracy has small
shortcomings – too many governors and deputies and they make the decision too long.
Conclusion: Representative democracy is the best from
five forms of government. But creation of representative democracy is the most
complex problem. To overcome these small shortcomings, Parliament give to the President emergency powers for limited term in case of
emergence conditions –in case of wars, natural disaster or mass riots. Society
rolls down to the archaic forms of government – tyrannies or oligarchies in
case of failure of similar construction of representative democracy, as it
happened in 1917 in Russia under Bolsheviks. Worst of five forms of government
are the okhlocracy and tyranny, and an okhlocracy is worse than tyranny even.
An example of okhlocracy are meetings of
criminals or crowd of villains which are ready to smash and kill always. The
tyranny was invented in the countries of the Ancient East. Aristocracy was invented
by Lycurgus in Sparta. Direct democracy was invented in Athens. Hereditary
monarchy was invented in the Moscow Principality in the form of custom about a
succession, about throne transfer to the eldest son or the big brother.
Representative democracy was invented in England and the USA.
What forms of government did exist in Russia in the
20th century?
Russia is a unique country where of the power tried to
enter all five forms of government in turn during 20 century. Hereditary
monarchy was under Russian emperor Nicolay 2 in Russia before 1905. Russian tried to construct representative
democracy from 1905 to February 1917,
Russian parliament and a multi-party system was created for this purpose,
political freedoms and free elections are guaranteed, but the constitution
wasn't adopted, and the right of appointment of members of the government
remained in hands of the emperor, instead of parliament. The diarchy of Provisional government and the
Soviet power was established from March to November 1917. an election in the
Constituent assembly was held. This Constituent assembly should choose the form
of government. But Bolsheviks seized power in October 1917, Bolsheviks disperse
by Constituent assembly, Conclusion: Representative democracy is the best from
five forms of government. But creation of representative democracy is the most
complex problem. To overcome these small shortcomings, Parliament give to the President emergency powers for limited term in case of
emergence conditions –in case of wars, natural disaster or mass riots. Society
rolls down to the archaic forms of government – tyrannies or oligarchies in
case of failure of similar construction of representative democracy, as it
happened in 1917 in Russia under Bolsheviks. Worst of five forms of government
are the okhlocracy and tyranny, and an okhlocracy is worse then tyranny even.
An example of an okhlocracy are meetings of criminals or crowd of villains
which are ready to smash and kill always. The tyranny was invented in the countries
of the Ancient East. Aristocracy was invented
by Lycurgus in Sparta. Direct democracy was invented in Athens. Hereditary monarchy was invented in the Moscow Principality in the form of custom about a succession,
about throne transfer to the eldest son or the big brother. Representative
democracy was invented in England and
the USA.