Types of Governments explained
Last couple of weeks we saw dramatic happenings in the US and China with the storming of Capitol Hill (see pic below) and the sudden disappearance of Jack Ma (see pic below), the second richest man in China. This week sitting in the thought bar it’s about different kinds of Governments that rule the world
Democracy which is practiced in most advanced countries is typically a type of government of the people, by the people, for the people, If one has seen The Late Show with David Letterman an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman you can understand the amount of freedom that’s enjoyed by the people of the USA. Donald Trump was called the Twitter President because in his 4 years in office DT tweeted 59,553 times to his 88,936,841 Followers averaging 40 tweets a day. But Twitter did not hesitate to ban him after the riot in Capitol Hill because Twitter enjoyed the freedom of democracy
China a communist country which is run by a single party system uses iron hands to silence any criticism of the government Jack Ma the second richest man of China gave a speech in Shanghai at the Bund Summit on Oct 24 which didn't go well with the authorities, Jack Ma was apprehended his ANT IPO suspended and Ma was not seen in public for about 3 months. A Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan is one of a number of people facing trial for exposing the initial chaos of Wuhan’s COVID-19 response. The rule here is simple: the ruling party is supreme and no one can question it. In short in the USA twitter bans the president but in China The President bans twitter.
People in North Korea call their President SUPREME LEADER and Kim Jong-un (see pic below) is the third generation ruler meaning his father and grandfather were Presidents of North Korea for the last 60 years and more. Dissent of any form is not allowed. It's believed that Kim’s maternal uncle was eliminated from the face of the earth because he was getting powerful and Kim Jong Un didn't like it. Unlike China where a single party has the power here it’s ONE MAN who has the power.
Today, 45 nations have some form of monarchy, though the concept has become increasingly diluted with the evolution of democratic principles. In the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II's role as a monarch is largely symbolic. But monarchs in other countries, including Morocco, Oman, Brunei and Saudi Arabia, still have far-reaching political authority.
Theocracy is a type of government wherein the religious leaders have the power like in Iran The ayatollahs (Shiite religious leaders) rule the country. Among them is a "supreme leader" (see pic below) who serves as head of state, delegate’s authority to other religious leaders, and presides over the elected president.
Military dictatorship is one form of government wherein a nation is ruled by a single authority with absolute power and no democratic process, there are about 50 countries in the world with a dictator. One of them is Thailand, where General Prayut Chan-o-cha took power in 2014 following widespread protests against the government. Chan-o-cha declared martial law, dissolved the nation's senate, and placed himself in control.
Then there is Socialism that’s practiced in Scandinavian countries like Sweden, Norway Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. They all adhere to socialist policies that combine free-market capitalism with extensive public works, including free healthcare, free education, a comprehensive welfare state, and high percentages of unionized workers.
Oligarchies are governments in which a collection of individuals rules over a nation. A specific set of qualities, such as wealth, heredity, and race, are used to give a small group of people power. The government that ruled South Africa from 1948 to 1991 was a racially constructed oligarchy. The minority white population exercised dominance and imposed segregation over the nation's majority Black population, controlling policy, public administration, and law enforcement.
Then there are hybrid democracies wherein elections are held and usually rigged by the ruling party like what happened in Zimbabwe, Mr Robert Mugabe (see pic below) held on to power for 37 years. In the year 2000 Zimbabwe was going through an unemployment rate of nearly 50% and economy was in deep trouble Robert Mugabe hatched an idea of lottery and compelled every business establishment in the country to buy a lottery ticket from the national bank to stimulate the economy, as rightly guessed the winner was none other than Mr Robert Mugabe the President of the country. One can imagine how much corruption has crept into Zimbabwe in a democratic way.