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Forms of Governments
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Democracy | Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives. |
| Theocracy | A government ruled or subject to religious authority. |
| Monarchy | Government by a sovereign such as a king or empress, usually for life and by hereditary right. |
| Republic | A political order whose head of state is not hereditary and in modern times is usually a president, who represents the interests of the people. |
| Dictatorship | A state or government ruled by an absolute ruler. |
| Communism | A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single party holds power, claiming to make progress towards a higher social order in which all goods are equally (communally) shared by the people. |
| Fascism | A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent and socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism. |