Some Forms of Government:

Absolute Monarchy -- kingdom in which monarch has complete power

Anarchy -- absence of government
Aristocracy -- government by a wealthy, privileged minority or hereditary ruling class
Caliphate -- government by Islamic civil and religious leader
Civil government -- government established by laws made by citizens or their representatives; nonmilitary, nonreligious
authority
Coalition government -- temporary alliance of members of two or more parties to form governing majority
Collective -- group or institution organized and run by all members equally
Commonwealth -- government in which ultimate authority lies with people
Constitutionalism -- government based on written constitutional principles
Constitutional monarchy -- government headed by monarch and regulated by constitution
Democracy -- government by the people with majority rule exercised in periodic, free election of representatives
Despotism -- government in which ruler exercise absolute power
Dictatorship -- government in which absolute power rest with one person or a few
Duarchy or duumvirate -- government by two equally powerful rulers
Dyarchy -- dual responsibility shared by colonial government and native ministers
Empire -- several territories, nations or peoples governed by single sovereign authority
Fascism -- government based on establishing oppressive, one-part, centralized national regime
Federal government -- system in which political units surrender individual sovereignty to central authority, but retain
designated powers
Feudalism -- political system in Europe from 9th to 15th century in which lord owned all property worked by vassals
Gerontocracy -- rule by elders
Gynecocracy -- government by women
Hagiocracy -- government by group of persons believed to be holy
Hierocracy -- rule by priest or clergy
Isocracy -- government in which all individuals have equal political power
Matriarchy -- government or monarchy in which power rests with females or descends through female line
Meritocracy -- government in which criterion for leadership is skill or intellectual achievement
Monarchy -- government with absolute hereditary ruler who serves for life
Ochlocracy -- rule by the multitude or mob
Oligarchy -- government by small group of privileged individuals
Pantisocracy -- utopia in which all members rule equally
Parliamentary government -- system in which executive (prime minister) is chosen by elected legislature (parliament)
from among its members
Patriarchy -- government or monarchy in which power rests with males or descends through male line
Plutocracy -- government by the wealthy
Principality -- state ruled by a prince, often part of larger state or empire
Regency -- reign of non-monarch during youth or indisposition of monarch
Republic -- government in which power is vested in elected representatives of citizenry
Sovereignty -- political autonomy and freedom of state from outside authority
Stratocracy -- government by the military
Technocracy -- government run by experts and technicians
Thearchy -- government based on divine sovereignty
Theocracy -- government by church officials, who believe they have divine authority
Timocracy -- government based on love of honor and military glory or on requisite ownership of property
Totalitarianism -- authoritarian political system in which citizen is totally subject to will of state
Triarchy -- government ruled jointly by three person; triumvirate
Tyranny -- government by single absolute authority, especially one exercising oppressive power
Unitary government -- system in which power is held by single central source, and local governments are merely
administrative agents, the opposite of federalism
Welfare state -- system in which ultimate responsibility of government is well being of all citizens