Government types...

Totalitarian-Under this type of government the state has complete control over all aspects of public and private life.

Authoritarian-This type of government is similar to totalitarianism except there is an illusion of some power in the hands of the people.

Dictatorship-Rule by one. In this form of government one person creates all the rules and decides how, when and if they are enforced.

Monarchy-Rule by one. Similar to a dictatorship except the monarch (king or queen) usually claims the right to rule by “the divine right of kings” which is the premise that kings or queens are appointed by God to rule the people.

Autocracy-Rule by one. An autocrat has absolute control over the people. Although an autocracy is basically another word for a dictatorship the term autocracy technically has no positive or negative connotations.

Oligarchy-Rule by a few. Oligarchies are typically ruled by one or a combination of any of the following; wealthy families, families of royalty, owners of extremely large corporations, and military leaders.

Plutocracy-Rule by a few. A plutocracy is a specific form of oligarchy that by definition is ruled by a wealthy group of people.

Aristocracy-Rule by a few. An aristocracy is just another blend of an oligarchy where the leaders are typically the most famous citizens.

Military Junta-A military junta is a government that is composed of a committee of military leaders. They take power by force and do not hold elections.

Theocracy-A theocracy is a government that is ruled by religious authority. It can be ruled by one person or many different people. The laws of a theocracy are modeled after the particular beliefs of a religion.