Forms of Government
The most basic purpose of government is to make, carry out, and enforce laws. Another purpose is to maintain security and order. Several forms of government are used by different countries. Governments of particular countries have changed throughout history. Below are some definitions that will help you understand the characteristics of the different forms of government.
Distribution of Power
Most governments fall into three basic categories based on how power is distributed. Power can be totally concentrated into a central government, it can be shared between the levels of government, or it can be mostly held by smaller, local governments.

Unitary Government
In a unitary government, power is concentrated in a central government. Local or state governments are completely under the control of the central government and cannot make their own laws.
Federal Government
A federal government splits power between a central government and the states. However, it gives the federal government more power over the state governments.
Confederal Government
A confederal government also splits power between a central government and the states. Unlike a federal government, however, a confederal government limits the power of the central government and places more power with the states. The states reserve the highest level of sovereignty over most matters.
Government Types
Many different types of governments exist in the world today including monarchies, democracies, and even dictatorships. These governments all have different ways of distributing power and organizing the government.

Democracy
A democracy is a form of government in which the power is in the hands of the people. Citizens participate in the government by voting on issues or by picking officials to represent them. Most democratic states today tend to have a federal government type, meaning there is a central government that shares some power with state and local governments. Democratic systems fall into one of two groups:
In a direct democracy, decisions are made directly by the citizens who choose to participate. Direct democracies work better with smaller populations. They may still have political leaders who play minor roles in decision-making.
In a representative democracy, decisions are made by elected representatives. Political leaders play a central role in representing the views of larger populations. A representative democracy is generally considered to be the same as a republic. Many modern nations such as the United States, France, Germany, and Mexico have this form of government. Nations like the U.S. have a presidential democracy, in which citizens vote for the president and the president serves as both the head of government and head of state. Nations like the United Kingdom have a parliamentary democracy. In this type of government, the nation's parliament (its legislature) selects the prime minister, who serves only as head of government while the king or queen serves as head of state.
Monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which one person has the hereditary right to rule as head of state during his or her lifetime. This means that the nation's leader is born into this position. The queen of England is an example of a monarch.
An absolute monarchy is a type of unitary government, and the monarch has unlimited power due to his or her position. At times, monarchs have been thought to rule by the grace of God, believing that God granted them the power to rule. This idea is known as ruling by divine right.
Today, many monarchies are constitutional monarchies that use federal or confederal systems. This means the monarch shares power with other branches of government. In a constitutional monarchy, for example, the monarch is only the head of state rather than being the head of government. In this instance, the monarch shares power with the Parliament. A constitutional monarchy is usually also a parliamentary democracy. The United Kingdom is an example of a constitutional monarchy.
Autocracy
An autocracy is form of government in which one person has total control over a nation. Autocracies always have a unitary system of government. An absolute monarchy would be a good example of a government that is also an autocracy.
A dictatorship is another good example of an autocracy. Dictatorships have a government in which one person seizes control and rules with complete power. Dictatorships can even occur in countries that claim to be democratic.
Communism is a political ideology based on the teachings of Karl Marx, who wrote The Communist Manifesto with Friedrich Engels in 1848. The communists governments of the 20th century were dictatorships that rejected democracy and based themselves on socialist ideas. Under a socialist system, the central government controls the planning and producing of all goods in order to achieve an equitable distribution of wealth and property among its citizens.
Fascism is a political ideology that became popular in some countries following World War I. Fascism supports extreme nationalism. The governments that based themselves on fascism became totalitarian dictatorships. These governments placed power into the hands of one person and denied individual freedoms.
Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, and Saddam Hussein were all dictators and totalitarian rulers. Fidel Castro of Cuba and Kim Il Sung of North Korea are other modern dictators.
Oligarchy
An oligarchy is a government that is controlled by a select, small group of people. Often called the "aristocracy," this group is usually made up of the wealthiest people in society. Oligarchies can also be based on race or religion. The ruling class in an oligarchy tends to exercise almost absolute power over the entire government, even though they only represent a small portion of the population.
Theocracy
A theocracy is a type of government ruled either by religious leaders or by leaders who are considered gods themselves. In practice, theocratic governments are usually administered by whichever religious leaders are considered most in communion with the deity, such as bishops or mullahs.