From the Rulers to the Ruled: Types of Governments

The functions of government and its main types: democracy (direct, parliamentary, presidential), monarchy, republic, dictatorship and oligarchy.

Key ideas

A government has three functions: legislative (making rules), executive (carrying them out) and judicial (seeing they are followed).
Democracy is rule of the people; in a representative democracy citizens elect people to decide for them, in a direct one they decide themselves.
In a parliamentary democracy like India, the prime minister and ministers are members of the legislature.
In a presidential democracy, like the USA, the president is elected separately and heads the government.
In a constitutional monarchy, like the United Kingdom, the monarch has little real power and an elected parliament governs.
A republic has an elected head, not a hereditary monarch.
In a dictatorship one person or a small group holds absolute power; in an oligarchy a few people rule.
Accountability means the government answers to the people who elected it.

Remember

Democracy	rule of the people
Oligarchy	Greek: rule by a few
Republic	head of state is elected
Lower House of Parliament	Lok Sabha
General elections in India	every five years
Uttaramerur inscriptions	10th century: elections to a village sabha
Yogakshema	Kautilya’s word for the welfare of the people

Watch out

Mixing up parliamentary (ministers from the legislature) and presidential (president elected separately) democracy.
Thinking every monarchy is ruled by the monarch: in a constitutional monarchy parliament governs.
Mixing up a republic (elected head) and a democracy (rule of the people): a country can be both.

Worked example

Suppose a country holds elections every 5 years from 2030, and another every 4 years from 2032. In which year after 2032 will both hold elections in the same year?

Working: list 2030 + 5, + 10, … and 2032 + 4, + 8, … until they meet

Answer: 2040