SYSTEMS OF GOVERNING
[©2024 Terri Branson • All Rights Reserved]

There is great confusion these days about how to label different systems of governing. Even college professors and leaders from around the world cannot agree on which labels to use for what. One problem is that terms translate differently between languages and cultures. Another is confusion about what terms mean. Then there are those who intentionally misuse terms for their own gain.

The simplest way to sift through all that noise is to assign the most commonly used political terms according to how many people govern the whole of the population. That goes from 100% (all people vote on all issues; also known as village rule) down to one ruler (monarch or dictator).

A representative democracy, also sometimes called a republic, operates by people selecting a certain percentage of representatives to govern for the whole.

Minority rule occurs when powerful people, usually in dynastic family groups, rule by force over the rest of the population. These systems go by many names: communism, fascism, feudalism, socialism, and theocracy.

A single ruler, usually called either a monarch or a dictator, rules everyone by force with without the consent of the people.

The current tendency in the United States is to use the labels "left" or "right." However, most people use these terms incorrectly. "Left of center" means democratic rule, from representative government to village vote. "Right of center" means fewer governing representatives to the point of minority rule, even down to a single ruler.

Therefore, it looks like this:

* Left of center is democracy.
* The center is representative democracy (republic).
* Right of center is minority rule.
* Far right of center is a single ruler.

It is way past time for people to agree on governing terminology. Left of center is democracy. Right of center is minority rule. It is that simple. People need to understand what they are really saying when they use political labels.