Aristocracy is a form of government in which a few

Aristocracy is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. In the origins in
Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and
contrasted with monarchy. In later times, aristocracy was usually seen as rule by a

privileged group, the aristocratic class, and contrasted with democracy. Similarly,
plutocracy is rule by the wealthy. Unlike systems such as democracy, plutocracy is not
rooted in a political philosophy and has no advocates; the term is only used in a
pejorative sense. Examples of plutocracies include the Roman Republic, some city-
states in Ancient Greece, the civilization of Carthage, the Italian city-states/merchant
republics of Venice, Florence, Genoa, and pre-World War II Empire of Japan zaibatsu.
Other Forms of Governance
Iran’s Theocracy : Iran is an example of a theocracy. Ali Khamenei, depicted here, current holds the position of
Supreme Leader in Iran. The Supreme Leader is a religious figure who has arguably the most political power in
Iran.
Technocracy is a form of government in which experts in technology would be in control
of all decision making. Scientists, engineers, and technologists who have knowledge,
expertise, or skills, would compose the governing body instead of politicians,
businessmen, and economists. In a technocracy, decision makers would be selected
based upon how knowledgeable and skillful they are in their field.
Theocracy is a form of government in which official policy is governed by immediate
divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided, or is pursuant to the
doctrine of a particular religion or religious group. Theocracy essentially means rule by a
church or analogous religious leadership; a state in which the goal is to direct the
population towards God and in which God himself is the theoretical “head of the state”.
An Islamic state is a state that has adopted Islam, specifically Sharia (Islamic Law), as
its foundations for political institutions, or laws, exclusively, and has implemented the
Islamic ruling system and is therefore a theocracy. Although there is much debate as to
which states or groups operate strictly according to Islamic Law, Sharia is the official

basis for state laws in the following countries: Yemen, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan,
Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, Oman and Iran.
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