What form of government is the best?

[Valery Staricov]

WHAT FORM OF GOVERNMENT IS THE BEST?

 

 

Problem of classification of the forms of government.

 

 

How manyand what forms of government did exist in the history of mankind? To answer this controversial question, it isnecessary to choose correctly criteria which distinguish one form of governmentfrom another. The comparative analysis of the forms of government is acondition for their successful classification. The form of government is a typeof the device of the Supreme power in the country. There were some attempts to make similarclassification in history of philosophy.

 

 

Aristotle's classification.

 

 

Thisclassification is stated in Aristotle's book of "Policy". Thisclassification is borrowed by Aristotle Platoentirely, but Aristotle managed to state this classification in more systematic form.

 

Aristotlecalled six forms of government (a kingdom, tyranny, the aristocracy, oligarchy,an okhlocracy, democracy) which are allocated according to two criteria:

 

• Number of ruling persons (one, minority, majority).

 

• Assessment of the forms of government (bad orgood).

 

The kingdom is a good form of government when one goodperson governs. Examples of outstanding tsars: Kodr, Cyrus, Alexander theGreat, Napoleon.

 

The tyrannyis a bad form of government when one bad person governs. In my opinion, Stalinand Hitler serve as examples of tyrants. Tyrant Periandr considered that it isnecessary to tear off ears rising over others – to execute all outstandingpeople. The well-known words possessesby Aristotle: "It is better to kill the tyrant than to kill thief".These words became the slogan of all killers by tyrants like Sofia Perovskaja and members of group«People will» in Russia who killed Russian tsar Alexander 2 though Alexander 2was a reformer, instead of the tyrant.

 

The aristocracy is a good form of government when goodexclusive minority rules.

 

The oligarchy is a bad form of government when bad exclusive minority rules.

 

Democracy is a good form of government when the good majority of the population rules.

 

Okhlocracy is a bad form of government when the bad majority of the population (criminalcrowd) rules when the simple people become similar to the despot. Demagoguesare able to flatter for crowd and to turn the mercenary offers into laws.Demagogues erect charges againstofficials often, and the people acceptthis charges willingly so value of all officials comes to naught. And anarchycomes at inaction of officials.

 

Conclusion: According to Aristotle, the aristocracy isthe best form of government. In my opinion, this conclusion was absolutelycorrect only for an antiquity when representative democracy wasn't inventedyet. There was a regress in 20 centuryin a number of the countries to the ancient forms of government – to oligarchyor tyranny – in the form of a fascist regime, the Soviet power, thefundamentalist and Islamic state. The main lack of classification of Aristotleconsists that this classification is a little obsolete since the new forms of government were inventedafter Aristotle.

 

Classificationof Machiavelli.

 

There are onlytwo forms of government in classification of Machiavelli:

 

• REPUBLIC

 

• MONARCHY

 

 

 

My point of view concerning classification of theforms of government.

 

In myopinion, it is possible to make classification of five forms of government:

 

• TYRANNY or KINGDOM.

 

• ARISTOCRACY or OLIGARCHY.

 

• DIRECT DEMOCRACY or OKHLOCRACY.

 

• HEREDITARY MONARCHY.

 

• REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY.

 

This classification is made on the basis of fourcriteria:

 

• quantity of governors or voters,

 

• kinds of ways of conflict for power,

 

• kinds of fighting groups and a place or the arena oftheir fight,

 

• kinds of defects or shortcomings of each form ofgovernment.

 

Mostimportant is the second criterion from these four criteria since kinds of thesocial conflict and kinds of social control are the main basis for constructionof social structures.

 

The quantity ofgovernors is equal to one tyrant or the tsar under tyranny or a kingdom.The quantity of governors is equal to privileged minority under thearistocracy or oligarchy. The quantityof governors is equal to the majorityof citizens under direct democracy or an okhlocracy. The quantity of governors is equal to dynasticfamily under hereditary monarchy. All citizens have a right to elect and be theelectee in the conditions of representative democracy. Ways of conflict forpower are the armed capture of the power or civil war for a throne undertyranny and a kingdom.

 

Way ofconflict for power is elections in privileged meeting under the aristocracy andoligarchy. Way of conflict for power iselections in people's assembly under direct democracy okhlocracy. Way ofconflict for power is throne transfer by inheritance without fight or palace coupswith help of quads at hereditary monarchy. Way of conflict for power is national elections in the conditions ofrepresentative democracy.

 

Kinds offighting groups are groups of rebels inarmies or bureaucratic cliques under tyranny and a kingdom. Kinds of fighting groups are fractions in the senate, the Politburo or Central Committee of CPSU under the aristocracy and oligarchy. Kindsof fighting groups are crowds led bydemagogues under direct democracy or an okhlocracy. Kinds of fighting groupsare groups of guardsmen led by representatives of a ruling dynasty or impostorsunder hereditary monarchy. Kinds of fighting groups are parliamentary parties or fractions inparliament in the conditions of representative democracy.

 

Kinds of defects are an arbitrariness andabuses of tyrants and harm from civil wars for a kingdom or tyranny. Kinds of defects are adegeneration of oligarchy and revolt of the majority deprived of civil rightsfor the aristocracy or oligarchy. Kinds of defects are abuses of demagogues andimpossibility to construct this form of government in the big territory fordirect democracy or an okhlocracy. Kinds of defects are a degeneration of aruling dynasty and absence of election of governors for hereditary monarchy.Representative democracy has no defects, but representative democracy has smallshortcomings – too many governors and deputies and they make the decision too long.

 

Conclusion: Representative democracy is the best fromfive forms of government. But creation of representative democracy is the mostcomplex problem. To overcome these small shortcomings, Parliament give to the President emergency powers for limited term in case ofemergence conditions –in case of wars, natural disaster or mass riots. Societyrolls down to the archaic forms of government – tyrannies or oligarchies incase of failure of similar construction of representative democracy, as ithappened in 1917 in Russia under Bolsheviks. Worst of five forms of governmentare the okhlocracy and tyranny, and an okhlocracy is worse than tyranny even.An example of okhlocracy are meetings ofcriminals or crowd of villains which are ready to smash and kill always. Thetyranny was invented in the countries of the Ancient East. Aristocracy was inventedby Lycurgus in Sparta. Direct democracy was invented in Athens. Hereditarymonarchy was invented in the Moscow Principality in the form of custom about asuccession, about throne transfer to the eldest son or the big brother.Representative democracy was invented in England and the USA.

 

 

What forms of government did exist in Russia in the20th century?

 

 

Russia is a unique country where of the power tried toenter all five forms of government in turn during 20 century. Hereditarymonarchy was under Russian emperor Nicolay 2 in Russia before 1905. Russian tried to construct representativedemocracy from 1905 to February 1917,Russian parliament and a multi-party system was created for this purpose,political freedoms and free elections are guaranteed, but the constitutionwasn't adopted, and the right of appointment of members of the governmentremained in hands of the emperor, instead of parliament. The diarchy of Provisional government and theSoviet power was established from March to November 1917. an election in theConstituent assembly was held. This Constituent assembly should choose the formof government. But Bolsheviks seized power in October 1917, Bolsheviks disperseby Constituent assembly, Conclusion: Representative democracy is the best fromfive forms of government. But creation of representative democracy is the mostcomplex problem. To overcome these small shortcomings, Parliament give to the President emergency powers for limited term in case ofemergence conditions –in case of wars, natural disaster or mass riots. Societyrolls down to the archaic forms of government – tyrannies or oligarchies incase of failure of similar construction of representative democracy, as ithappened in 1917 in Russia under Bolsheviks. Worst of five forms of governmentare the okhlocracy and tyranny, and an okhlocracy is worse then tyranny even.An example of an okhlocracy are meetings of criminals or crowd of villainswhich are ready to smash and kill always. The tyranny was invented in the countriesof the Ancient East. Aristocracy was invented by Lycurgus in Sparta. Direct democracy was invented in Athens. Hereditary monarchy was invented in the Moscow Principality in the form of custom about a succession,about throne transfer to the eldest son or the big brother. Representativedemocracy was invented in England andthe USA.

 

 

[too-open-minded]

When you write down a form of government any can be the best.

 

What defines the best is how well a government is actually applied to its state.