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This is a continuation of my blogging here at WdC |
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This will be a blog for my writing, maybe with (too much) personal thrown in. I am hoping it will be a little more interactive, with me answering questions, helping out and whatnot. It follows on from the old one, which is now full. An index of topics from old and new can be found here: "Writing Blog No.2 Index"  Feel free to comment and interact. And to suggest topics! |
| Government Types I mentioned in a couple of reviews that the government style in a fantasy story didn’t work for the people involved, the setting used, and the time. Most modern writers use democracy as we know it, but that does not translate to the settings described. Or they use monarchy as we see it in the twenty-first century; absolute rule is a concept hard to get your head around. However, there are other forms of government that could help bring a fantasy or science fiction (or fictional country) to life. Etymologically-minded folks should note the difference between the suffix '-archy', meaning 'rulership', and '-cracy', meaning 'power', which both come from Greek roots. Later Classical scholars conflated the two… As happened. A lot. anarchy = government by none androcracy = government by men/ males aristarchy = government by the best aristocracy = government by the nobility (in particular, hereditary nobility) autarchy (monocracy) =government by an absolute ruler biarchy (diarchy, diarchy) =rule by two individuals bureaucracy = government by civil servants; those in titular command are still governed by civil servants confederacy = rule by diverse social elements cryptarchy = secret rule (think conspiracy theories about who rules the world) decarchy =government by ten individuals democracy =government by the people (or by a select group of ordinary people, e.g. tax-payers, over-18 year olds, etc.) ecclesiarchy = government by clerics or ecclesiastical authorities ergatocracy = government by the workers or the working class ethnocracy = government by one particular ethnic group or race in a multiracial society exarchy = government by bishops gerontocracy (geriatocracy) = government by the aged gynaecocracy (gynarchy, gynocracy) = government by women (females) hagiarchy = rule by saints or holy persons (not clerical people) hagiocracy = government by holy men (not saints and generally not clerical people) 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 or a panel of judges magocracy = government by people possessed of magic powers (while this has no basis in history, it is a part of fantasy) matriarchy = government by women or mothers or the eldest females meritocracy = government by the meritorious militocracy (stratocracy) = government by military leaders monarchy = government by one individual (not necessarily absolute rule, but close to it) nonarchy = government by nine individuals ochlocracy = rule by mobs or “the mob” (a form of democracy taken to a an extreme) octarchy = government by eight people oligarchy = government by the few, by an unelected elite paedarchy = government by children pantarchy = government by all the people; world government pantisocracy = government by all equally paparchy = government by the pope alone (technically, the RC Church until the Reformation) patriarchy = government by older men or fathers pedocracy = government by the learned, savants and scholars pentarchy = government by five individuals plutocracy (chrysoaristocracy, chrysocracy) = rulership by the wealthy polyarchy = government by many people ptochocracy = rule of beggars or paupers; wholesale pauperization technocracy = government by technical experts tetrarchy = government by four people thearchy = rule by a god or gods; body of divine rulers (no basis in reality, but often seen in fantasy tales) theocracy = government by priests or by religious law; one religion only timocracy = government by the propertied class (those who own property and no-one else; often, the more property, the more power) triarchy = government by three people There are more, but these are those seen in works of fiction or have an actual basis in reality. And if you look at them, they can all make for some interesting works. So, this is something purely for interest, and to help writers expand their world-building. |
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