List of forms of government
48-503: Representative democracy , electoral democracy or indirect democracy is a type of democracy where representatives are elected by the public. Nearly all modern Western-style democracies function as some type of representative democracy: for example, the United Kingdom (a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy ), Germany (a federal parliamentary republic ), France (a unitary semi-presidential republic ), and
96-530: A legislature (such as a parliament or congress), which may be composed of a single chamber (unicameral), two chambers (bicameral), or more than two chambers (multicameral). Where two or more chambers exist, their members are often elected in different ways . The power of representatives is usually curtailed by a constitution (as in a constitutional democracy or a constitutional monarchy ) or other measures to balance representative power: Some political theorists, such as Edmund Burke , believe that part of
144-480: A 2015 exhibition. In 2015, Parliament held a year-long programme of events called " Parliament in the Making ", coordinated with Parliament Week , including events to mark the 750th anniversary of Montfort's Parliament. The BBC broadcast a "Democracy Day" on 20 January to coincide with the 750th anniversary consisting of live discussions and debate about parliament and democracy. It was presented in partnership with
192-412: A considerable amount of power, but their rule benefits the people. The term was first used by supporters of Bonapartism . A cellular democracy , developed by Georgist libertarian economist Fred E. Foldvary , uses a multi-level bottom-up structure based on either small neighborhood governmental districts or contractual communities. A workplace democracy refers to the application of democracy to
240-525: A council of 24 barons and churchmen, half chosen by the King and half by the barons. The pressure for reform continued to grow unabated and a parliament met in June. The term "parliament" had first appeared in the 1230s and 1240s to describe large gatherings of the royal court, and parliamentary gatherings were held periodically throughout Henry's reign. They were used to agree upon the raising of taxes which, in
288-583: A huge personal fortune. Prince Edward escaped his captors in May and formed a new army, resulting in a fresh outbreak of civil war. Edward pursued Montfort's forces through the Welsh Marches, before striking east to attack his fortress at Kenilworth and then turning once more on the rebel leader himself. Montfort, accompanied by the captive Henry, was unable to retreat and the Battle of Evesham ensued. Edward
336-551: A likely civil war. Montfort marched east with an army and London rose up in revolt. Montfort took Henry and Queen Eleanor prisoner, and although he maintained a fiction of ruling in Henry's name, the rebels completely replaced the royal government and household with their own, trusted men. Montfort's coalition began to quickly fragment, Henry regained his freedom of movement and renewed chaos spread across England. Henry appealed to his brother-in-law Louis of France for arbitration in
384-403: A number of knights of each shire and, once, including burgesses from the towns. After 1297 under Edward I's reign, this became the norm, and by the early 14th century it was normal to include the knights and burgesses, a grouping that would become known as the "Commons" of England and, ultimately, form the " House of Commons ". Simon de Montfort's parliament of 1265 is sometimes referred to as
432-402: A representative democracy can have one of the following party systems : A demarchy is a form of government where people are randomly selected from the citizenry through sortition to either act as general governmental representatives or to make decisions in specific areas of governance (defense, environment, etc.). An organic or authoritarian democracy is a democracy where the ruler holds
480-439: A smaller council of 15 members, elected solely by the barons, which then had the power to appoint England's justiciar, chancellor and treasurer, and which would be monitored through triennial parliaments. Pressure from the lesser barons and the gentry present at Oxford also helped to push through wider reform, intended to limit the abuse of power by both the King's officials and the major barons. More radical measures were passed by
528-490: Is an arrangement which involves workers making decisions, sharing responsibility and authority in the workplace (see also workplace ). A representative democracy is an indirect democracy where sovereignty is held by the people's representatives. Types of representative democracy include: Representative democracies often contain political parties , which are groups of politicians with similar views who work together to win elections. Depending on how many major parties exist,
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#1732766004656576-405: Is known as the iron law of oligarchy . Representative democracies which are stable have been analysed by Adolf Gasser and compared to the unstable representative democracies in his book Gemeindefreiheit als Rettung Europas which was published in 1943 and a second edition in 1947. Adolf Gasser stated the following requirements for a representative democracy in order to remain stable, unaffected by
624-604: Is unknown how many burgesses were called. The event was overseen by King Henry, and held in the Palace of Westminster , just outside London, which was the largest city in England, and whose continuing loyalty was essential to Montfort's cause. This parliament was a tactical move by Montfort in an attempt to gather support from the regions, and the historian Jeffrey Hamilton characterises it as "a very partisan assembly, not some sort of proto-democratic representative body". Once again
672-574: The Reform Act 1832 with launching modern representative democracy in the United Kingdom. Globally, a majority of governments in the world are representative democracies, including constitutional monarchies and republics with strong representative branches. Separate but related, and very large, bodies of research in political philosophy and social science investigate how and how well elected representatives, such as legislators, represent
720-826: The United States (a federal presidential republic). This is different from direct democracy , where the public votes directly on laws or policies, rather than representatives. Political parties often become prominent in representative democracy if electoral systems require or encourage voters to vote for political parties or for candidates associated with political parties (as opposed to voting for individual representatives). Some political theorists (including Robert Dahl , Gregory Houston, and Ian Liebenberg) have described representative democracy as polyarchy . Representative democracy can be organized in different ways including both parliamentary and presidential systems of government . Elected representatives typically form
768-474: The marginalized . Proponents of direct democracy criticize representative democracy due to its inherent structure. As the fundamental basis of representative democracy is non inclusive system, in which representatives turn into an elite class that works behind closed doors, as well as the criticizing the elector system as being driven by a capitalistic and authoritarian system. The system of stochocracy has been proposed as an improved system compared to
816-537: The 13th century, were single, one-off levies, typically on movable property , intended to support the King's normal revenues for particular projects. During Henry's reign, the counties had begun to send regular delegations to these parliaments, and came to represent a broader cross-section of the community than simply the major barons. The new parliament passed a set of measures known as the Provisions of Oxford , which Henry swore to uphold. These provisions created
864-732: The Citizen and, although short-lived, the National Convention was elected by all males in 1792. Universal male suffrage was re-established in France in the wake of the French Revolution of 1848 . Representative democracy came into general favour particularly in post- industrial revolution nation states where large numbers of citizens evinced interest in politics , but where technology and population figures remained unsuited to direct democracy. Many historians credit
912-468: The King would be unable to lead the country through these problems. On 30 April, Hugh Bigod marched into Westminster in the middle of the King's parliament, backed by his co-conspirators, including Simon de Montfort , the Earl of Leicester , and carried out a coup d'état . Henry, fearful that he was about to be arrested and imprisoned, agreed to abandon his policy of personal rule and instead govern through
960-584: The Roman than the Greek model, because it was a state in which supreme power was held by the people and their elected representatives, and which had an elected or nominated leader. Representative democracy is a form of democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives; as opposed to direct democracy, a form of democracy in which people vote on policy initiatives directly. A European medieval tradition of selecting representatives from
1008-569: The United States in 1787, with a national legislature based partly on direct elections of representatives every two years, and thus responsible to the electorate for continuance in office. Senators were not directly elected by the people until the adoption of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913. Women, men who owned no property, and Black people, and others not originally given voting rights, in most states eventually gained
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#17327660046561056-536: The central notion of " democracy. " A direct democracy , or pure democracy, is a type of democracy where the people govern directly, by voting on laws and policies. It requires wide participation of citizens in politics. Athenian democracy , or classical democracy, refers to a direct democracy developed in ancient times in the Greek city-state of Athens. A popular democracy is a type of direct democracy based on referendums and other devices of empowerment and concretization of popular will. An industrial democracy
1104-532: The constituents do not fully agree with the decision, then the representative acts as a trustee. The Roman Republic was the first known state in the Western world to have a representative government, despite taking the form of a direct government in the Roman assemblies . The Roman model of governance would inspire many political thinkers over the centuries, and today's modern representative democracies imitate more
1152-686: The development of parliament as an institution during the medieval period. The Parliament of the United Kingdom presented a loyal address to Queen Elizabeth II in 1965 to mark the 700th anniversary of Montfort's Parliament, and the Queen addressed both Houses of Parliament . The House of Lords Record Office, now known as the Parliamentary Archives , organised an exhibition in the Houses of Parliament of several important Acts of Parliament . Some of these documents were displayed again in
1200-729: The dispute; Montfort was initially hostile to this idea, but, as war became more likely again, he decided to agree to French arbitration as well. Initially Montfort's legal arguments held sway, but in January 1264, Louis announced the Mise of Amiens , condemning the rebels, upholding the King's rights and annulling the Provisions of Oxford. The Second Barons' War finally broke out in April, when Henry led an army into Montfort's territories. Becoming desperate, Montfort marched in pursuit of Henry and
1248-417: The duty of a representative is not simply to follow the wishes of the electorate but also to use their own judgment in the exercise of their powers, even if their views are not reflective of those of a majority of voters. A representative who chooses to execute the wishes of their constituents acts as a delegate. If the representative chooses to use their best judgment and knowledge in making decisions, even when
1296-497: The existing limitations on the King's powers. Over the next four years, neither Henry nor the barons were able to restore stability in England, and power swung back and forth between the different factions. By early 1263, what remained of Henry's authority had disintegrated and the country slipped back towards open civil war. Montfort convened a council of rebel barons in Oxford to pursue his radical agenda and by October, England faced
1344-509: The first representative English parliament, because of its inclusion of both the knights and the burgesses, and Montfort himself is often regarded as the founder of the House of Commons. The 19th century historian William Stubbs popularised the 1295 " Model Parliament " of Edward I as the first genuine parliament; however, modern scholarship questions this analysis. The historian David Carpenter describes Montfort's 1265 parliament as "a landmark" in
1392-588: The gathering becoming known as the House of Commons . In 1258, King Henry III of England faced a revolt among the English barons. Anger had grown about the way the King's officials were raising funds, the influence of his Poitevin relatives at court and his unpopular Sicilian policy ; even the English Church had grievances over its treatment by the King. Within Henry's court there was a strong feeling that
1440-458: The government even though he was not himself the monarch, the first time this had happened in English history. Montfort successfully held a parliament in London in June 1264 to confirm new constitutional arrangements for England; two knights were summoned from each county, chosen by the county court, and were allowed to comment on general matters of state – the first time this had occurred. Montfort
1488-402: The interests or preferences of one or another constituency. The empirical research shows that representative systems tend to be biased towards the representation of more affluent classes to the detriment of the population at large. In his book Political Parties , written in 1911, Robert Michels argues that most representative systems deteriorate towards an oligarchy or particracy . This
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1536-417: The iron law of oligarchy: A drawback to this type of government is that elected officials are not required to fulfill promises made before their election and are able to promote their own self-interests once elected, providing an incohesive system of governance. Legislators are also under scrutiny as the system of majority-won legislators voting for issues for the large group of people fosters inequality among
1584-458: The new council the next year, in the form of the Provisions of Westminster . The disagreements between the leading barons involved in the revolt soon became evident. Montfort championed radical reforms that would place further limitations on the authority and power of the major barons as well as the Crown; others promoted only moderate change, while the conservative barons expressed concerns about
1632-472: The nobility, senior churchmen and two knights from each county, but also two burgesses from each of the major towns such as York, Lincoln, Sandwich, and the Cinque Ports, the first time this had been done. Due to the lack of support for Montfort among the nobility, only 23 of them were summoned to parliament, in comparison to the summons issued to 120 churchmen, who largely supported the new government; it
1680-407: The public. Others, including the many variants of representative democracy , favor more indirect or procedural approaches to collective self-governance , where decisions are made by elected representatives rather than by the people directly. Types of democracy can be found across time, space, and language. The foregoing examples are just a few of the thousands of refinements of, and variations on,
1728-477: The representatives were allowed to comment on wider political matters than just the usual issues of taxation. The business of the parliament focused on enforcing the Provisions of Westminster, in particular its restrictions on the major nobles, and promising judicial help to those who felt they were suffering from unfair feudal lordship. The parliament bought temporary calm but opposition grew once more, particularly as Montfort and his immediate family began to amass
1776-404: The shires , as in previous parliaments, but also burgesses from the major towns. They discussed radical reforms and temporarily stabilised Montfort's political situation. Montfort was killed at the Battle of Evesham later that year, but the idea of inviting both knights and burgesses to parliaments became more popular under Henry's son Edward I . By the 14th century, it had become the norm, with
1824-496: The system of representative democracy, where representatives are elected. Stochocracy aims to at least reduce this degradation by having all representatives appointed by lottery instead of by voting. Therefore, this system is also called lottocracy. The system was proposed by the writer Roger de Sizif in 1998 in his book La Stochocratie . Choosing officeholders by lot was also the standard practice in ancient Athenian democracy and in ancient India . The rationale behind this practice
1872-579: The towns . Later, in the 17th century, the Parliament of England implemented some of the ideas and systems of liberal democracy , culminating in the Glorious Revolution and passage of the Bill of Rights 1689 . Widening of the voting franchise took place through a series of Reform Acts in the 19th and 20th centuries. The American Revolution led to the creation of a new Constitution of
1920-446: The two armies met at the Battle of Lewes on 14 May. Despite their numerical superiority, Henry's forces were overwhelmed. Captured, Henry was forced to pardon the rebel barons and reinstate the Provisions of Oxford, leaving him, as historian Adrian Jobson describes, "little more than a figurehead". Simon de Montfort claimed to be ruling in the King's name through a council of officials. However, he had effective political control over
1968-441: The various estates ( classes , but not as we know them today) to advise/control monarchs led to relatively wide familiarity with representative systems inspired by Roman systems. In Britain, Simon de Montfort is remembered as one of the fathers of representative government for holding two famous parliaments. The first , in 1258, stripped the king of unlimited authority and the second, in 1265, included ordinary citizens from
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2016-543: The various governance structures that embody the principles of democracy ("rule by the people") in some way. Democracy is frequently applied to governments (ranging from local to global ), but may also be applied to other constructs like workplaces, families, community associations, and so forth. Types of democracy can cluster around values . Some such types, defined as direct democracy (or participatory democracy , or deliberative democracy ), promote equal and direct participation in political decisions by all members of
2064-736: The vote through changes in state and federal law in the course of the 19th and 20th centuries. Until it was repealed by the Fourteenth Amendment following the Civil War , the Three-Fifths Compromise gave a disproportionate representation of slave states in the House of Representatives relative to the voters in free states. In 1789, Revolutionary France adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of
2112-507: The workplace (see also industrial democracy ). A religious democracy is a form of government where the values of a particular religion have an effect on laws and policies, often when most of the population is a member of the religion. Examples include: Types of democracy include: Simon de Montfort%27s Parliament List of parliaments of England List of acts of the Parliament of England Simon de Montfort's Parliament
2160-463: Was an English parliament held from 20 January 1265 until mid-March of the same year, called by Simon de Montfort , a baronial rebel leader. Montfort had seized power in England following his victory over Henry III at the Battle of Lewes during the Second Barons' War , but his grip on the country was under threat. To gain more support, he summoned not only the barons and the knights of
2208-417: Was to avoid lobbying and electioneering by economic oligarchs. The system of deliberative democracy is a mix between a majority-ruled system and a consensus-based system. It allows for representative democracies or direct democracies to coexist with its system of governance, providing an initial advantage. Types of democracy List of forms of government Types of democracy refers to
2256-583: Was triumphant and Montfort's corpse was mutilated by the victors. In places the now leaderless rebellion dragged on, with some rebels gathering at Kenilworth, which Henry and Edward took after a long siege in 1266. The remaining pockets of resistance were mopped up, and the final rebels, holed up on the Isle of Ely , surrendered in July 1267, marking the end of the war. Henry III ruled England until his death in 1272, continuing to summon parliaments, sometimes including
2304-505: Was unable to consolidate his victory at Lewes, however, and widespread disorder persisted across the country. In France, Eleanor made plans for an invasion of England with the support of Louis. In response, and hoping to win wider support for his government, Montfort summoned a new parliament for 20 January 1265 which continued until mid March that year. It was held at short notice, with the summons being issued on 14 December, leaving little time for attendees to respond. He summoned not only
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