Introduction to Governments #1 - Autocracy

Government is a key principle common to all societies. The basic functions of government remain mostly the same; to enforce law, maintain social order, provide public services (e.g. transportation), maintain national security and be responsible for the nation’s economic security.

Human history is intertwined with the concept and practice of government. Since the emergence of the human race, peoples have endeavoured to organise their communities and establish order against the chaos of the disorganised natural world. Many forms of government have existed throughout history, with many surviving to the modern day. These articles are designed to give a brief description of some of the most common forms of government seen today.

Autocracy

This is arguably the oldest form of government employed by humanity. The word stems from the Ancient Greek words “Autos”(“self”) and “Kratos” (“Power” or “Strength”). This translates to a system of government were one person is endowed with absolute power and controls all aspect of society. Autocracies have existed for millennia, Monarchies and Dictatorships being the most common versions of autocratic government. Nearly a third of all countries today have an autocratic form of government

Monarchy

Monarchies are nearly as old as time itself. In this form of autocracy, the monarch (King or Queen) is invested with sovereignty (supreme power) over all. Countless civilisations practiced monarchy as their form of government. The Pharaohs of the Nile Valley (3150 B.C.) and the Tsar’s of Russia practised autocracy through monarchy.

Monarchies still exist in the modern day. For instance, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. However, monarchies can even differ between each other (complex right!).

They can be subdivided, between:

Absolute monarchies: Monarch holds supreme power (Saudi Arabia).

Constitutional monarchies: The monarch is a ceremonial leader who exercises authority in accordance with a constitution (UK).

Dictatorships

Dictatorships follow the same pattern as monarchies, however, the person who holds absolute power is not referred to as a monarch ( it’s really semantics). These regimes are known to be Totalitarian , i.e. they aim to assert total control over every aspect of life. In these regimes, there is generally only one political party and freedom of thought is suppressed. Some of the most famous dictatorships include: Hitler’s Nazi Germany and Stalin’s Communist Russia.

Unfortunately, Dictatorships are still common place in the modern world. Most recently Belarus has received much news coverage. Belarus has been under the control of Alexander Lukashenko since 1994.

In short, Autocracies are characterised by supreme power residing in one individual.