List: Ruler

This article covers the exact nature or form of the government aka in what matter does the political process occurs in this country. For the sake of convenience it'll be divided into several groups, which will then be divided into subgroups.

Monarchy
A monarchy is a system of governance under which there is a person selected from an eligible family or a cohort, or selected by eligible people as a ruler. The term “monarchy” usually is only representative of one ruler, though there are cases where there is more then one monarch either sharing or separating power between each-other. In such cases this form is referred to via the amount of rulers it has (Duarchy – two, Triarchy – three, Tetrachy – four, etc.)

Absolute Monarchy
Absolute monarchy is a form of monarchy in which one ruler has supreme authority that is not restricted by any written laws, legislature or customs. This once common form of government was historically justified with the belief that the authority of the monarch is granted to them by a divine power or, in certain cases, their own subjects.

Constitutional Monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the ruler’s authority is limited by constitution. The exact degree of the limit varies between states, ranging from the monarch having powers equivalent to a that of a president, to monarch being a mostly symbolic figurehead.

Countries

 * Russian State

Elective Monarchy
The leadership of an elective monarchy is elected rather than inherited by the successive heirs of one family. The manner by which elective monarchs are selected varies heavily between countries: from being elected by and from a country's nobility to being elected by the previous monarch themselves.

Dynastic Monarchy
Dynastic monarchism describes a model wherein power is concentrated within the ruling dynasty, rather than just the monarch himself. Members of the ruling dynasty control most important government offices, leading to a distinctively high level of political stability, as all power is kept within the family.

Dictatorship
A dictatorship is a catch-all term for a form of government in which there is a single leader or a group of leaders who assert their authority over the people of that country. The main difference it has from a monarchy is that dictators aren’t usually elected by anyone. Instead they come to power either via force or due to some form of emergency. With time dictatorships usually either transform into a de-facto monarchy, a kleptocracy, or they become more democratic in the process.

Military dictatorship
Military dictatorship refers to a type of government, in which power is held by single military officer acting on behalf of the military. They are most often formed by military coups or the empowerment of the military through a popular uprising in times of domestic unrest or instability. Military dictatorships power depends on the charisma of the strongman and his ability to control both the military and civilian wings of the government.

Military junta
Military junta refers to a type of government, in which power is held by a council of military officers acting on behalf of the military. Unlike military dictatorships, where one person assumes the role of a strongman and replaces the civilian government, military junta binds the civilian government to themselves eventually turning into oligarchs and controlling the political life either openly or from the shadows.

Theocratic dictatorship
Theocratic dictatorship refers to a type of government in which power is held by person empowered by a radical religious group. Their actions and politics are guided by religious dogma and they’re most likely followed by an able group of religious extremists of both civil and military variety.

One-party dictatorship
One-party dictatorships are governments in which a single political party dominates politics and other parties are either outright banned or can’t meaningfully influence government. The exact nature of this government varies from having no official leader and all government being managed by the entire party or the leader of said party assuming the power of a dictator.

Stratocracy
Stratocracy covers a form of government headed by the military or a military caste. It establishes the generals and admirals as the rulers and administrators of the government. If elections are held, only soldiers and veterans are allowed to vote. The biggest difference it has from a military dictatorship is that unlike those, the military rule is expected and supported by law, not enforced.

Autocratic Military Order
Military orders are guided by a fundamental religious or martial code, with political decisions made in reference to the code's doctrine. The state is run by a leader of a military order who has ultimate authority over the state and its affairs. The degree with which the code is adhered to varies from calm and temperate to zealous and radical.

Republican Military Order
Military orders are guided by a fundamental religious or martial code, with political decisions made in reference to the code's doctrine. The state is run by representatives elected from a military order, with the order’s doctrine acting as a legislative guide. The degree with which the code is adhered to varies from calm and temperate to zealous and radical.

Countries

 * Kazakia

Oligarchy
Oligarchies are societies controlled and organized by a small class of privileged people, usually of the same social class or race, with almost no intervention from the most part of society. It should be noted that although it contrasts with democracy, it does not necessarily imply eliminating elected representatives, instead it shows the nature of the rule and that alone. Either as an evolution or as a form of mimicry, they may mix with other branches of this list, resulting in things like an aristocratic republic or a theocratic democracy. As with the classification in ideas, in such cases one should look at the first word in such ideologies. That is the real way the state is governed.

Herrenvolk state
In a herrenvolk state, only a specific ethnic or racial group participates in the political life of the country. The “herrenvolk” in question can be either a majority or a minority within the state itself, what matters is that the “chosen people” gain more rights and privileges, while “others” are repressed. Contrary to popular belief – herrenvolk countries can make life of “others” easier and even better compared to other states, but even in those cases the difference in rights and freedoms is visible and often times drastic.

Aristocratic state
In an aristocratic state, everything is ruled by a privileged noble class who claim to be of higher birth then the rest of society. This form of government encompasses various principalities, sheikdoms, dutchies, and other places, where the person ruling the state is of a lower social status than a monarch, but higher than the rest of society.

Plutocratic state
In a plutocratic state the government is indebted to, dependent upon or heavily influenced by the desires of the rich. This can take form of laws created with specific purposes of defending monopolies or corporate interest or states created and/or controlled by rich people or companies.

Theocratic state
In a theocratic state the clerical class governs the state acting on behalf of God(s). The nation is governed or inspired by canon laws of the church and usually has a state-mandated religion, though not all states who have that are automatically theocracies.

Technocratic state
Technocracy is a system of governance in which decision-makers are selected on the basis of their expertise, particularly with regard to scientific or technical knowledge. Technocratic leaders are judged on their expertise rather than political affiliation and that is the main goal and desire of a technocratic society. A technocratic government tries to use the scientific method to solve social problems and uses logical calculus to find the most rational solution to any given problem based on the information available.

Republic
Republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. The degree with which the people have actual control over the government varies, but what matters here is that in a “republic” representatives are elected by the people, not chosen by select few.

Constitutional republic
In constitutional republics, the government is elected by the populace and whose powers are limited by laws directly, usually in a form of a constitution (a document establishing the exact powers and restrictions of the government). Typically, laws cannot be passed which violate the constitution, unless the constitution itself is altered by law.

Countries

 * Ukrainian State

Democratic republic
In democratic republics the laws are ultimately decided by popular vote, whether by a body of elected representatives or directly by the public, and there is no or little restriction on which laws are passed so long as they have majority support. Unlike in constitutional republics, the constitutional law is either non-existent or poses little obstacle to legislation.

Legislative republic
In legislative republics, there is a visible separation between the head of the government (law makers) and the head of the state (law enforcers). In case of the legislative republics, the head of the government holds real power, while the head of the state is either a ceremonial position or holds a very specific role in the state, like head of diplomacy or as a “”neutral” arbiter for the law makers. Though elected by the people, the exact way the head of the state is elected differs between countries – from a democratic election of the people to a vote of the legislative branch itself.

Executive republic
In executive republics, there is a visible separation between the head of the government (law makers) and the head of the state (law enforcers). In case of the executive republics, the head of the state holds real power, with the legislative branch either controlled or formed by him directly. In such states the legislative branch usually acts as a counterbalance to the head of the state, able to depose him or block his decisions with a veto or a vote of no confidence.

Theocratic republic
Theocratic republics are republics purporting to be governed in accordance with the law based on or inspired by their chosen religion. Such states usually feature laws dictated by the religious dogma (Sharia law being the easiest example). Secular laws can exist in such countries but they’re usually either subordinate to the religious dogma or form an entirely separate branch of legislature.

Client state
Describes a form of government in which the state itself is nominally independent but in reality it is economically, politically, and/or militarily subordinate to another more powerful state. Though commonly considered to be a bad thing in international politics and by media, the fact of the matter is that many nations of both our and that world are subservient to some other state or entity in one way or another. Similarly, subordination doesn’t mean enslavement: many client states can have a very strong and active presence in global and regional politics. The main thing to remember when it comes to differentiating a client state from other types listed is that they sacrifice parts of their independence in return to some benefits from the controlling state.

Puppet state
A puppet state describes a state that on paper is independent, but in reality is totally dependent on other state’s economic and/or military support, which the controlling state uses to its advantage. Though this control may not be outright hostile, the puppet state doesn’t really have much of a choice other then compliance with controllers actions, as disobeying would mean collapse.

Sister state
A sister state describes a nominally independent state that at the same time relies heavily on another larger country for protection and whose government is staffed by a mixture of local politicians and politicians from the controlling state. This makes their political and social life very heavily tied into the life of the controlling state, making them more akin to autonomous territories rather than independent states.

Protectorate
A protectorate describes a state under the official military protection of another state. This means that the state retains autonomy over most of its internal affairs, while acknowledging the protection of a larger, greater power. The controlling state usually gets some special privileges when it comes to trade, immigration, etc. in return.

Vassal state
A vassal state describes a state that is contractually obligated to provide some sort of tribute (resources, military, etc) to the controlling state. The controlling state in this case has the legal and moral right to extract payment from the vassal state by any means it deems fit.

Dependency
A dependent territory does not possess full political independence or sovereignty as a sovereign state, yet remains politically outside the controlling state's integral area which forces them to either act independent or have some elements of autonomy like a local government. Dependencies include things like colonies, autonomous regions and exclaves of a country.

Lists:

 * Introduction to Politics
 * List: Land
 * List: Idea
 * List: Economy