Writing Blog Number 2

20240426 Government Forms

Government Forms

I have mentioned that I am going through old files, seeing what is what and so on and so forth, and as part of that, I found this list of government forms. Not sure where I got it from, but this could help those writing fantasy, speculative fiction, alternative history or even some other genres.

Now, as a word nerd, etymologically-minded folks should note the difference between the suffix '-archy', meaning 'rulership', and '-cracy', meaning 'power', which both come from Greek roots. It is subtle, but when these terms were coined, that difference meant something. “Rule by” and “power given to” or “power in” are very subtle.

Anywho, here are a heap of different forms of government:

anarchy: government by none

androcracy: government by men (males)

aristocracy: government by the nobility

biarchy: rule by two individuals (aka diarchy)

bureaucracy: power resides in civil servants

cryptarchy: secret rule

decarchy: government by ten individuals

democracy: government by the people

ecclesiarchy: government by a council of priests

ergatocracy: government by the workers or the working class

exarchy: government by bishops

geriatocracy: government reserved for the elderly or very old (aka gerontocracy)

gynaecocracy: government by women (females) (aka gynarchy)

hagiarchy: rule by saints or holy persons

hagiocracy: government by holy men

hecatontarchy: government by one hundred people

heptarchy: government by seven people

hierocracy: government by priests or religious ministers

kakistocracy: government by the worst

kritarchy: government by judges

matriarchy: government by women or mothers or the eldest females

meritocracy: government by the meritorious

militocracy: government by military leaders

monarchy: government by an absolute ruler (aka autarchy)

monocracy: rulership by one individual (aka autocracy)

         (note the subtle difference: one is rule by an absolute, the other is an individual has the power, but is not absolute)

nomocracy: rule of law; government based only on a legal system

ochlocracy: rule by mobs

octarchy: government by eight people

oligarchy: government by the few

pantarchy: government by all the people; world government

paparchy: government by the pope

patriarchy: government by older men or fathers

pentarchy: government by five individuals

physiocracy: government according to natural laws or principles

plutocracy: rulership by the wealthy (aka chrysoaristocracy)

polyarchy: government by many people

ptochocracy: rule of beggars or paupers; wholesale pauperization

sociocracy: government by society as a whole

stratocracy: military rule that is despotism

technocracy: government by technical experts; in modern times, rule by computers

tetrarchy: government by four people

thearchy: rule by a god or gods; body of divine rulers

theocracy: government by priests or by religious law

timocracy: government by the propertied class

triarchy: government by three people


Long list, but I hope it helps someone.