This article lists forms of government and political systems, according to a series of different ways of categorising them. The systems listed are of course not mutually exclusive, and often have overlapping definitions (for example autocracy, authoritarianism, despotism, totalitarianism, monarchism and tyranny).
Alphabetical list with hierarchy
The following list groups major political systems (recognized by political science) in alphabetical order. The various subtype political systems are listed below the main system of government.
- Anarchism (perhaps better defined as a system of non-hierarchical governance)
- Authoritarianism (Autocracy or Oligarchy)
- Absolutism
- Aristocracy
- Corporatism
- Despotism
- Diarchy
- Dictatorship (not all dictatorships are autocracies)
- Gynecocracy
- Gerontocracy
- Hagiocracy
- Kleptocracy
- Matriarchy
- Meritocracy
- Monarchism government called monarchy, which consisted of a monarch who had all the power over the area.
- Patriarchy
- Plutocracy
- Police state
- Robocracy
- Theocracy (hierocracy)
- Totalitarianism
- Fascism (extreme nationalism)
- Single-party state
- Tyranny
- Technocracy (bureaucratic)
By approach to regional autonomy
This list focuses on differing approaches that political systems take to the distribution of sovereignty, and the autonomy of regions within the state.
- Sovereignty located exclusively at the centre
- Sovereignty located at the centre and in peripheral areas
By political franchise
This list shows a division based on differences in political franchise (suffrage).
According to Weber's tripartite classification of authority
Max Weber in his tripartite classification of authority distinguished three ideal types of political leadership, domination and authority:
- charismatic domination (familial and religious)
- traditional domination (patriarchs, patrimonalism, feudalism)
- legal domination (modern law and state, bureaucracy)