No matter the country we are in, one of the major elements of our lives is our national government. It isn't only how we accomplish a common goal for a nation, it reflects our individual goals and how we approach life as an aggregate. It is an extension of our personal identity that makes up a national image that we give to the world.

Many forms of government have come and gone over the last few thousand years, some of them more succesful and productive than others. They include so:


All definitions from dictionary.com:

de·moc·ra·cy

n. pl. de·moc·ra·cies

1. Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives.
2. A political or social unit that has such a government.
3. The common people, considered as the primary source of political power.
4. Majority rule.
5. The principles of social equality and respect for the individual within a community.

re·pub·lic

n.

1. A political order whose head of state is not a monarch and in modern times is usually a president.
2. A nation that has such a political order.
2.
1. A political order in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who are entitled to vote for officers and representatives responsible to them.
2. A nation that has such a political order.
3. often Republic A specific republican government of a nation: the Fourth Republic of France.
4. An autonomous or partially autonomous political and territorial unit belonging to a sovereign federation.
5. A group of people working as equals in the same sphere or field: the republic of letters.

so·cial·ism

n.

1. Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy.
2. The stage in Marxist-Leninist theory intermediate between capitalism and communism, in which collective ownership of the economy under the dictatorship of the proletariat has not yet been successfully achieved.

com·mu·nism

n.

1. A theoretical economic system characterized by the collective ownership of property and by the organization of labor for the common advantage of all members.
2. Communism
1. A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single, often authoritarian party holds power, claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people.
2. The Marxist-Leninist version of Communist doctrine that advocates the overthrow of capitalism by the revolution of the proletariat.

mon·ar·chy

n. pl. mon·ar·chies

1. Government by a monarch.
2. A state ruled or headed by a monarch.

fas·cism

n.

1. often Fascism
1. A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.
2. A political philosophy or movement based on or advocating such a system of government.
2. Oppressive, dictatorial control.


Some questions to think about and answer:

Out of these, and any that I haven't listed, what are some of the better ideas and what are the pitfalls?

From a historical perspective, which has been the most succesful (not just from a 'freedom' or human rights standpoint, but as advancing society and the human experience)?

Is there any way to combine the strengths of all government systems into one unified theory that would be most inclusive to the most people, most fair, and also most productive?

Is a very fair/equal society inherently less productive (ie- is productivity the result of socio-economic inequality)?

Is it possible to have a very productive society without it being totalitarian?

etc, etc, etc. You don't have to answer all of them or any of them, but that should be a good kickoff to get you thinking and debating the various methods of national government.