Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Democracy Democracy refers to government by the people—of one person, one vote—rather than the rule of a single individual (monarchy) or a small group (aristocracy). The United States used a system of indirect, or representative, democracy rather than direct democracy. MLA Citation "democracy." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 28 Aug. 2011. Monarchy A monarchy is any form of government in which the supreme powers of the state are exercised, or ceremoniously held, by a king, queen, emperor, or other regal potentate. Monarchs may acquire their position through inheritance. Absolute monarchs exercise full ruling powers, whereas constitutional monarchs either share governmental powers with elected parliaments or are mere figureheads. Absolute monarchs once ruled nearly all the states of Europe. Today, in the few countries that have retained their monarchs (Great Britain, Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands, for example), the king or queen is assigned a ceremonial role as chief of state. In several semi feudal states of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, however, monarchs continue to have absolute power. MLA Citation "monarchy." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 28 Aug. 2011. Aristocracy An aristocracy is a governing body or class consisting of a hereditary nobility. As conceived by Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle, aristocracy ideally means the rule of the morally and intellectually superior best few, governing in the interest of the people. MLA Citation "aristocracy." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 28 Aug. 2011. Oligarchy An oligarchy is a small group of socially and economically elite citizens that rules a country or other political unit. Oligarchs usually make decisions based on their own interests rather than for the general good. MLA Citation "oligarchy." World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2011. Web. 28 Aug. 2011. Republic A republic is a form of government characterized by popular sovereignty, which is the belief that political power rests with the people. The people elect representatives to act on their behalf in lawmaking and in making other government decisions, and the representatives are responsible to those who elect them. MLA Citation "republic." American Government. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 27 Aug. 2012.