Political Entities: Types & Examples

Political entities are essentially governmental power structures arranged as systems of ruling authority. Political entities include empires, nation-states, city-states, and kingdoms, to name a few.

Types of Political Entities

Nations- Nations are vast groups of people that share cultural traits such as language and ethnicity, as well as a similar history.

Nation-State- a country whose area matches to that of a certain nation

Ungoverned Territory- a country without a government

Multi-state country- a state in which two or more cultural groups with self-determination traditions agree to live in peace by recognising each other as different nationalities.

Regions with Autonomy/Semi-Autonomy- a specified territory inside a state with significant autonomy and independence from its parent state

Multinational Government- A state that is home to more than one nation.

Political Systems

A political system is a sort of political structure that a state can acknowledge, observe, or proclaim in some other way. It specifies how official government decisions are made. It generally includes the legal and economic systems of government, as well as social and cultural systems and other state and government-specific systems. However, this is a highly simplified perspective of a far more complicated system of categories addressing concerns such as who should have authority and how much impact the government should have on its citizens and economy.

Types of Political Systems

1. Democracy

Democracy is a system of governance in which citizens elect their leaders. The main objective is to rule through fair representation and avoid power abuses. As a result, a system that demands conversation, discussion, and compromise in order to fulfil the greatest number of public interests feasible, leading to majority rule, has emerged. Fair and free elections, civic involvement, human rights safeguards, and law and order are all values that democracies promote.

Example- Following its establishment in 874 AD, Iceland experienced a variety of governments. For thousands of years, the island was ruled by an autonomous commonwealth, kings, and colonial administrations. Iceland became a completely independent and sovereign state after signing a contract with Denmark in 1918. The country established its republic in 1944 and has since developed to become one of the world’s most democratic countries because of social welfare, universal health care, and higher education systems.

2. Communism

Communism is a centralised government ruled by a single party that is frequently autocratic. Public ownership and communal management of economic output, such as labour, capital goods, and natural resources, are replaced by public ownership and communal control in communist nations, which are inspired by German philosopher Karl Marx. Citizens live in a classless society where commodities and services are distributed as required.

Example- From 1922 until 1991, the Soviet Union was a one-party communist state in Northern Eurasia. Marxism-Leninism is a communist philosophy founded on the theories of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin, a Russian revolutionary and politician. Cuba, Laos, Vietnam, and the People’s Republic of China are among the countries that still have a single-party Marxist-Leninist government.

3. Socialism

Socialism is a political system in which citizens are encouraged to collaborate rather than compete. Citizens collectively own and control the means of production and distribution of goods and services, which are managed by a centralised government. According to their needs and abilities, each person receives from and contributes to the system.

Example- Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden are all socialist nations in the Scandinavian region.. All of them support socialist policies that combine free-market capitalism with large public works, such as free healthcare, free education, a robust welfare state, and high unionisation rates. This strategy effectively blends communism’s social character with capitalism’s private ownership and competition.

4. Monarchy

Monarchy is a type of administration in which the head of state is appointed for life or until he or she abdicates. Within the governing royal family, authority is generally passed down through a succession line based on lineage and birth order, frequently limited by gender. Constitutional monarchy and absolute monarchs are the two sorts of monarchies. Constitutional monarchy places limits on the monarch’s power, whereas absolute monarchies grant the monarch unfettered power.

Example- Today, 45 countries have some sort of monarchy, albeit the term has grown progressively diluted as democratic values have gained traction. Queen Elizabeth II’s function as queen in the United Kingdom is mostly symbolic. However, kings in other nations, such as Morocco, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, retain significant political power.

5. Theocracy

A theocracy is a kind of government in which the leadership, rules, and practices are all determined by a certain religious doctrine. There is little to no distinction between scripture laws and legal regulations in many cases. Religious clergy will frequently hold positions of leadership, even the highest office in the country.

Example- Iran is currently the world’s most important and strong theocratic state. The country is ruled by ayatollahs, Shiite religious authorities. A “supreme leader” is one of them, who acts as the country’s head of state, delegated authority to other religious leaders, and presided over the elected president. The country’s legal, judiciary, and administrative rules are all based on the Sharia, the Islamic faith’s basic legal concept.

6. Totalitarianism

Totalitarianism is a kind of authoritarianism in which the governing party sees no limits to its authority, even in the lives and rights of its population. Surveillance, control of the media, frightening shows of paramilitary or police force, and the repression of protest, activism, or political opposition are all common ways for a single individual to keep power and sustain authority.

Example- Despite the fact that it calls itself the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea is a totalitarian regime. Kim Jong-un, the country’s third “supreme leader,” leads with absolute and unquestioned authority, commanding his people without political opposition. Criticizing the supreme leader or protesting his policies are both punishable by death, as are a slew of other offences for which no due process is provided.

Conclusion

Various nations and governments may be found all throughout the world. The term “state” refers to the political unit that houses power and authority. This unit might be an entire country or a section of one. As a result, the nations of the globe, as well as subdivisions within a nation, such as California, New York, and Texas in the United States, are frequently referred to as states (or nation-states). Government can refer to a group of people who direct a state’s political activities, as well as the sort of governance that governs that state. Political system is another phrase for this second meaning of government, which we shall use here in conjunction with government. People’s freedom, welfare, and even life are all affected by the sort of government they live under.