Democratic
A democratic government is a government that follows the political system of democracy. Democracy is a system of governance where the citizens of a country exercise power directly or through elected representatives who form a governing body.
There are four main elements in a democracy:
Political system where the government is selected and replaced through fair and free elections
Active participation of citizens in politics and civic life.
Law that applies equally to all citizens
Protection of the human rights of all citizens
There are several variations in democratic government. The two main variations are direct democracy and representative democracy.
Non-Democratic
A non-democratic government is a government that does not follow democracy. A non-democratic government can be a monarchy, oligarchy, aristocracy, anarchy, feudalism, theocracy or any other governance form. Let’s briefly look at some of these forms of governance in order to understand the characteristics of a non-democratic government.
Monarchy – A state where absolute power is actually or nominally lodged in a monarch (sovereign head of state, typically a king, queen, or emperor)
Oligarchy – A state where absolute power is with a small group of people
Aristocracy – A state where absolute power lies with a privileged group
Theocracy – A state where absolute power lies with religious authorities
Inequality is the main characteristics of a non-democratic government. The common people do not have equal rights as the privileged rulers. The people are controlled by the government and the people have no say in the formation of the government.
Given below are some basic features of a non-democratic government.
People cannot select or change leaders.
People do not have fundamental human rights. For example, they are not allowed to criticize, protest, or form opposing parties.
All people are not treated equally.