The American Form of Government (great learning tool of the different type governments)

wimp.com ^

[blueyon]

Great video that shows 4 types of political systems (Oligarchy, Democracy, Republic, Anarchy). Worth your 10 minutes of time to watch.

[manic4organic]

BFLV

[bigbob]

Absolutely concur!

[Phlyer]

Almost concur.

I've maintained several times, in multiple posts here and elsewhere that the true political spectrum measures whether authority and responsibility are individual or collective, with the extremes of anarchy or totalitarianism (which indeed covers fascism, socialism, communism, and any other form of non-representative dictatorship like monarchies). In that I agree with him completely.

I disagree with his placement of Democracy relative to Republic, though. In fact, a 'true' Democracy is closest to Anarchy, where the whims of the majority are free to be indulged without limitation by law - which is almost the textbook definition of Anarchy. In his own analysis, he states that both Anarchy and Democracy attack private property rights, for example. The only difference is in the scale of majority required. In an Anarchy, a very local and very transient majority - perhaps as small as one large man attacking one smaller man - is all that's required. In a democracy, there is at least some claim that a significant group of the body politic (the 35 posse members in his example) concur.

I also disagree with the contention that an autocracy is the same as an oligarchy. It is true that in today's complex societies an individual cannot make every single decision himself, but the real issue is whether there are checks and balances on the individual who 'leads' the autocracy. If there are, in the form of other self-styled elites who can override the leader's decisions (or remove the leader) then you have an oligarchy. This was true in the later stages of the Soviet Union, after Stalin died. However, there was no one nor any group who could have removed Hitler from power, nor countermanded any of his decisions. At least, not after he consolidated his power. So that oligarchy (and it started out that way) became a dictatorship with no limitations within the society itself. It is true that autocratic dictatorships are unstable when measured in generations. Alexander the Great's empire did not survive his death, and Stalin's personal dictatorship devolved into oligarchy. But any form of government can be unstable over generations. Our own republic is devolving into oligarchy as we watch.

Still, it was an interesting and stimulating essay, and I'm glad for the chance to see a slightly different perspective. It helps clarify my own perspective.