1. Forms of Government

It has been suggested that every government which has ever existed has been a prime example of kakistocracy, or the rule of the worst, but this list of 169 different types of government suggests that that might be a bit too simplistic. Each of the following words indicates a form of government or type of leadership by a certain kind of person or institution. Everyone seems to want to get in on this rulership gig, from saints and mothers to beggars and prostitutes (hmm ...). Etymologically-minded folks should note the difference between the suffix 'archy', meaning 'rulership', and 'cracy', meaning 'power', which both come from Greek roots. This fact, of course, should suggest to any reasonable-minded person that the Greek people are inherently more fit to rule than all other groups. Just a theory, mind you ...

No. Word Definition
1 acracy government by none; anarchy
2 adhocracy government in an unstructured fashion; an unstructured organization
3 albocracy government by white people
4 anarchy government by none
5 androcracy government by men
6 anemocracy government by the wind or by whim
7 angelocracy government by angels
8 antarchy opposition to government; anarchy
9 argentocracy government by money
10 aristarchy government by the best
11 aristocracy government by the nobility
12 arithmocracy government by simple majority
13 autarchy government by an absolute ruler
14 autocracy government by one individual
15 barbarocracy government by barbarians
16 beerocracy government by brewers or brewing interests
17 bestiocracy rule by beasts
18 biarchy government by two people; diarchy
19 binarchy government by two people; diarchy
20 bureaucracy government by civil servants
21 cannonarchy government by superior firepower or by cannons
22 capelocracy government by shopkeepers
23 chiliarchy government by one thousand people
24 chirocracy government by physical force
25 chromatocracy government by rulers of a particular skin colour
26 chrysoaristocracy government by the wealthy; plutocracy
27 chrysocracy government by the wealthy; plutocracy
28 corpocracy government by corporate bureaucrats
29 cosmarchy rulership over the entire world, esp. by the devil
30 cottonocracy government by those involved in the cotton trade
31 cryptarchy secret rulership
32 decadarchy government by ten individuals; decarchy
33 decarchy government by ten individuals
34 demarchy government by the people; popular government
35 democracy government by the people
36 demonarchy government by a demon
37 demonocracy government by demons or evil forces
38 despotocracy government by despots or tyrants
39 diabolocracy government by the Devil
40 diarchy government by two people
41 dinarchy government by two people; diarchy
42 dodecarchy government by twelve people
43 doulocracy government by slaves
44 duarchy government by two people; diarchy
45 dulocracy government by slaves; doulocracy
46 dyarchy government by two people; diarchy
47 ecclesiarchy government by clerics or ecclesiastical authorities
48 endarchy centralised government
49 ergatocracy government by the workers or the working class
50 ethnarchy government over an ethnic group
51 ethnocracy government by an ethnic group or race
52 exarchy government by bishops
53 foolocracy government by fools
54 gerontocracy government by the aged
55 gunarchy government by women; gynarchy
56 gymnasiarchy government over a school or academy
57 gynaecocracy government by women; gynarchy
58 gynarchy government by women
59 gynocracy government by women; gynarchy
60 hagiarchy government by saints or holy persons
61 hagiocracy government by holy men
62 hamarchy government by a cooperative body of parts
63 hecatarchy government by one hundred people; hecatontarchy
64 hecatontarchy government by one hundred people
65 hendecarchy government by eleven people
66 heptarchy government by seven people
67 heroarchy government by heroes
68 hetaerocracy government by paramours
69 heterarchy government by a foreign ruler
70 hierarchy government by a ranked body; government by priests
71 hierocracy government by priests or religious ministers
72 hipparchy rule or control of horses
73 hoplarchy government by the military
74 hyperanarchy condition of extreme anarchy
75 hyperarchy excessive government
76 iatrarchy government by physicians
77 idiocracy personal rule; self-rule
78 infantocracy government by an infant
79 isocracy equal political power
80 jesuitocracy government by Jesuits
81 juntocracy government by a junta
82 kakistocracy government by the worst
83 kleptocracy government by thieves
84 kritarchy government by judges
85 landocracy government by the propertied class; timocracy
86 logocracy government of words
87 matriarchy government by women or mothers
88 meritocracy government by the meritorious
89 merocracy government by a part of the citizenry
90 mesocracy government by the middle classes
91 metrocracy government by mothers or women; matriarchy
92 millionocracy government by millionaires
93 millocracy government by mill owners
94 mobocracy government by mobs or crowds
95 monarchy government by one individual
96 moneyocracy government by the monied classes
97 monocracy government by one individual
98 myriarchy government by ten thousand individuals
99 narcokleptocracy government by those who profit from trade in illegal drugs
100 navarchy rulership over the seas
101 neocracy government by new or inexperienced rulers
102 nomocracy government based on legal system; rule of law
103 ochlocracy government by mobs
104 octarchy government by eight people
105 oligarchy government by the few
106 paedarchy government by children
107 paedocracy government by children; paedarchy
108 panarchy universal rule or dominion
109 pantarchy government by all the people; world government
110 pantisocracy government by all equally
111 paparchy government by the pope
112 papyrocracy government by newspapers or literature
113 parsonarchy government by parsons
114 partocracy government by a single unopposed political party
115 patriarchy government by men or fathers
116 pedantocracy government by pedants or strict rule-bound scholars
117 pentarchy government by five individuals
118 phallocracy government by men
119 philosophocracy government by philosophers
120 phylarchy government by a specific class or tribe
121 physiocracy government according to natural laws or principles
122 pigmentocracy government by those of one skin colour
123 plantocracy government by plantation owners
124 plousiocracy government by the wealthy; plutocracy
125 plutarchy government by the wealthy; plutocracy
126 plutocracy government by the wealthy
127 polarchy government by many people; polyarchy
128 policeocracy government by police
129 pollarchy government by the multitude or a mob; ochlocracy
130 polyarchy government by many people
131 polycracy government by many rulers; polyarchy
132 popocracy government by populists
133 pornocracy government by harlots
134 prophetocracy government by a prophet
135 psephocracy government resulting from election by ballot
136 ptochocracy government by beggars or paupers; wholesale pauperization
137 punditocracy government by political pundits
138 quangocracy rule of quasi-autonomous non-governmental organizations
139 rotocracy government by those who control rotten boroughs
140 septarchy government by seven rulers; heptarchy
141 shopocracy government by shopkeepers
142 slavocracy government by slave-owners
143 snobocracy government by snobs
144 sociocracy government by society as a whole
145 squarsonocracy government by landholding clergymen
146 squatterarchy government by squatters; squattocracy
147 squattocracy government by squatters
148 squirearchy government by squires
149 squirocracy government by squires; squirearchy
150 statocracy government by the state alone, without ecclesiastical influence
151 stratarchy rulership over an army
152 stratocracy military rule or despotism
153 strumpetocracy government by strumpets
154 synarchy joint sovereignty
155 technocracy government by technical experts
156 tetradarchy government by four people; tetrarchy
157 tetrarchy government by four people
158 thalassiarchy sovereignty of the seas; thalassocracy
159 thalassocracy sovereignty of the seas
160 thearchy rule by a god or gods; body of divine rulers
161 theatrocracy goverment by gathered assemblies of citizens
162 theocracy government by priests or by religious law
163 timarchy government by the propertied class; timocracy
164 timocracy government by the propertied class
165 triarchy government by three people
166 tritarchy government by three people; triarchy
167 tritheocracy government by three gods
168 whiggarchy government by Whigs
169 xenocracy government by a body of foreigners

Notes Prepared By: Prof. Shahbaz Asghar