Government · Lesson 2

Forms and systems of government

JAMBWAECNECO

What the syllabus asks

JAMB: Forms of government (monarchy, aristocracy, oligarchy, autocracy, republicanism, democracy); structures of governance (unitary, federal, confederal: features, reasons for adoption, merits, demerits); systems of governance (presidential, parliamentary, monarchical); political ideologies (communalism, feudalism, capitalism, socialism, communism, totalitarianism, fascism, Nazism)

WAEC: Types/forms of government: monarchy, aristocracy, oligarchy, autocracy, democracy, republicanism; unitary, federal and confederal systems; presidential and parliamentary (cabinet) systems; basic concepts: communalism, feudalism, capitalism, socialism, communism, fascism, Nazism, totalitarianism, liberalism; centralisation and decentralisation (devolution, deconcentration)

NECO: Types/forms of government: monarchy, aristocracy, oligarchy, autocracy, democracy, republicanism; unitary, federal and confederal systems; presidential and parliamentary (cabinet) systems; basic concepts: communalism, feudalism, capitalism, socialism, communism, fascism, Nazism, totalitarianism, liberalism; centralisation and decentralisation (devolution, deconcentration)

What you will learn

Distinguish the classical forms of government and state their merits and demerits.
Explain unitary, federal and confederal structures with features, reasons for adoption, merits and demerits.
Compare presidential and parliamentary systems of government.
Explain the main political ideologies in the syllabus.
Distinguish centralisation from decentralisation (devolution and deconcentration).

Key points

Bases of classification: number of rulers, distribution of power, executive–legislature relations, ideology.
Aristotle: monarchy/tyranny, aristocracy/oligarchy, polity/democracy.
A republic has a non-hereditary head of state; Nigeria became a republic on 1 October 1963.
Unitary: centre supreme; good for small, homogeneous states.
Federal: powers divided by a written, rigid constitution; Nigeria federal since 1954; Exclusive, Concurrent and residual matters.
Confederal: sovereign members, weak centre, right to withdraw (Senegambia 1982–89).
Devolution transfers power; deconcentration transfers tasks only.
Presidential: single executive, fixed term, separation of powers (Nigeria 1979–83, 1999–date).
Parliamentary: dual executive, fusion, collective responsibility, no-confidence votes (Nigeria 1960–66).
Ideologies: communalism, feudalism, capitalism, socialism, communism, totalitarianism, fascism (Mussolini), Nazism (Hitler).

Start here: Classifying governments

There are many ways to classify governments. Examiners use four main bases:

By number of rulers: one, few or many (the ancient Greek approach).
By distribution of power between centre and units: unitary, federal, confederal.
By relationship between executive and legislature: presidential or parliamentary.
By ideology: capitalist, socialist, communist, fascist and so on.

Aristotle’s classification

The Greek philosopher Aristotle (4th century BC) asked two questions: how many rule, and in whose interest? Good forms rule for the common good; corrupt (perverted) forms rule for the rulers’ own benefit.

Number ruling	Good form (common interest)	Corrupt form (self-interest)
One	Monarchy	Tyranny
Few	Aristocracy	Oligarchy
Many	Polity	Democracy (in Aristotle’s sense: mob rule)

Note: Aristotle used "democracy" for the corrupt form of rule by the many. Modern usage treats democracy as the good form. Examiners will accept the modern meaning unless the question says "Aristotle".

Worked example 2.1

Use Aristotle’s table: a small group of wealthy merchants control a city and pass laws that exempt themselves from tax. Classify.

Number: a few.
Interest: their own, not the common good.
The corrupt form of rule by the few: oligarchy.

Oligarchy

Try it yourself. What is the corrupt form of rule by one in Aristotle’s scheme?

Show solution

Tyranny.

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Practice questions

1. Government by one hereditary ruler is

monarchy
oligarchy
aristocracy
democracy

Show answer

A: monarchy
Rule by a king or queen.

2. Government by a small group ruling in its own interest is

aristocracy
polity
democracy
oligarchy

Show answer

D: oligarchy
Aristotle's corrupt form of rule by the few.

3. A state whose head is not hereditary but elected or appointed is a

confederation
theocracy
republic
monarchy

Show answer

C: republic
Nigeria became a republic on 1 October 1963.

4. In a unitary system,

there is no central government
the central government is supreme and may create or abolish local units
powers are shared by a rigid constitution
units can withdraw freely

Show answer

B: the central government is supreme and may create or abolish local units
E.g. the United Kingdom, Ghana.

5. Nigeria has operated a federal system since

1954
1914
1960
1999

Show answer

A: 1954
Lyttelton Constitution.

Key words

Monarchy: Rule by a king or queen, usually hereditary.
Absolute monarchy: Monarch holds real, largely unlimited power.
Constitutional monarchy: Monarch’s powers are limited by a constitution; elected officials govern.
Aristocracy: Rule by a small class regarded as the best or noblest.
Oligarchy: Rule by a small group, usually the wealthy, for their own benefit.
Plutocracy: Rule by the wealthy.
Gerontocracy: Rule by elders.
Theocracy: Rule by religious leaders or according to religious law.
Autocracy: Rule by one person with unlimited power.
Republic: A state whose head of state is elected or appointed, not hereditary.
Unitary government: All power legally belongs to one central government, which may delegate to local units.
Federal government: Powers are shared between a central government and component units by a written constitution.

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