Essay: Systems of government

Throughout the course of the world, there have been many successful, as well as many failed attempts at governments. Through trial and error, strong empires have dominated the lands and weak city-states crumbled under the pressure to perform. In the development of consistently stronger governments, six major forms of government emerged. Many empires, countries, cities, and states rose from chaos and changed the way the world was run. The system of government which was chosen to rule would be the determining factor in the longevity of the lands and also the survival of its citizens. Democracy, monarchy, oligarchy, republic, tetrarchy, and theocracy, ultimately set rulers up for success over their land, however, in some cases also led to their untimely demise.
One of the most commonly known forms of governments today is democracy. In a democracy, the citizens rule the government. In ancient Athens, this form of government arose because the people were tired of being ruled by leaders who did not have the citizen’s best interest in mind. In an ideal world, people would be well educated and able to make decisions which would benefit themselves, and also society as a whole. However, there is no such thing as an important world and only about 25% of the Athenian population was actually able to vote. Only males over the age of eighteen, who owned land, and were free people were able to vote. This was also a time where literacy was determined  by ability to sign ones name. Education was not up to par to let the average citizen decide how to rule their land. The Athenians learned over this period that complete democracy does not work with a large population. This government slowly crumbled over time and left the Athenians open to outside invaders. Throughout history, people have also learned that when a government fails, generally one strong leader arises to take over and give the people a sense of security.
When this one leader is the sole ruler, a monarchy develops. A monarchy is a system of government in which one person is in complete power over a group of people. This group of people could be a tribe or even an empire. However, power is generally passed down through the bloodline and can potentially carry on good leadership, or completely switch to a poor, weak, defenseless government. In feudal society, which heavily dominated Europe in the 11th century, and particularly in the Holy Roman Empire, a monarch was at the top and in control of everyone below him. This monarch had absolute rule and could determine when their citizens would go to war, what religion they followed, and even what language they spoke. However, in some instances, one single person could not handle ruling on their own and would enlist the help of a small group of people.
This group of people leading over their citizens is called an oligarchy. In an oligarchy, it was generally one ruling family who would control the land and call the shots. This form of government is often selfish and the rulers do not always look out for the best interest of their people but rather what is best for themselves. Whether it be financial gain, political gain, or individual reasons, the rulers would not take into account the needs of their people. In Italy during the Renaissance Era, many mob-type rulers were leading. In particular, the Borgia family controlled many of the Papal states and would rig the pope elections to get who they wanted in power. These rulings are tyrannical and unjust towards the people of their land, however, because of the extent of their power, the citizens could not rebel and try to form a new government. People were poor and suffering and could not risk more wars and chaos. Oligarchies are very similar and closely related to republics.
A republic is closer to what the United States has today than a democracy. In a republic, the people will elect officials to represent them and their needs as people. These representatives are generally more educated, better informed, and wealthier, thus increasing influence over delicate matters. A prime example of a republic is the Roman Republic. While some may argue it is more of an oligarchy, the republic was run by elected officials who served for a set period of time. Just like a democracy, absolute republics do not work, as learned by the Romans. There was no check of power, leading to corruption and instability over time. In the United States today, there is a democratic republic, where the middle ground was found between the two.
Another system of government used by the Romans was a tetrarchy. Tetrarchy is the division of an empire to four separate rulers. After the Roman empire began to fall, a new form of government arose when the empire was split among four leaders. These leaders worked together in the beginning and brought the Roman Empire back to life. However, over time, internal conflict and strife began to decay the Empire and because the leaders could not get along and play nice, led to the collapse and end of the Roman Empire.
The last major system of government is theocracy. In this form of government, a ruler is decided by “divine intervention.” A priest, pope, king, or any leader is decided by a god and this leader has been selected individually by said god. The citizens cannot challenge their rule out of fear of upsetting the gods and ruining their livelihood. In the case of the Israelites, they were ruled by a theocracy. A priest was considered the messenger from God and was the divine leader of the land. They were the earth’s connection to God and without the priest, God would let his wrath rain down. In a theocracy, the people must share a common religion and believe what is being taught. As education began to grow and people could interpret spritual texts on their own, theocracy diminished and crumbled. Without the control over education, theocracy cannot thrive.
Through trial and error of different government systems, empires were able to change the modern world and develop systems to best suit different civilizations. Today, democracy, or rather democratic republics, are used throughout most of the western world while a monarchy still exists in countries like England, where a queen continues to rule. Oligarchy still exists in countries such as North Korea, where a family has held sole control over the citizens. Governments rise and fall so often and part of history is learning how to adapt and overcome to keep the citizens alive and thriving. The emergence of these six kinds of government changed the modern world in ways historians may never understand, however, they will always appreciate.