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Government: Definition, Purpose &

Types

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In this lesson, you will explore the concept and forms of government and discover how different types of
government use and control their power. Then, test your understanding with a brief quiz.

Government
Hey, you know what we should do today? We should start a government. A government is the system by
which a state or community is governed. Sometimes, it can also refer to the body of leaders who control a
state. In either sense, a government directly influences the lives of the people under its control. Government
determines rights of the people, the laws by which they must live their lives, and the penalties for breaking
those laws. So to start a government, we need to have a state, or a political and geographical territory. There
we go. Let's call it Videolia. And now we can start building up our government to control Videolia.

Purpose of Governments
Before we make our government, we should discuss why human societies have governments. It's important to
remember that not all societies in history had governments. Many did just fine without them until they
reached a certain size. After societies became large enough, it is very difficult to remain unified without
something to organize people and resources. This is where government comes in. The government collects
resources, from money to food, organizes people into areas where they are needed, and passes laws to
maintain order and stability. Laws are especially important to governments because they define social order.
People who break the laws are seen as a threat to overall order and peace and are arrested.

Governments kept society organized, but also kept them safe, especially in ancient times. You see, for a
government to exist, people often have to give up individual freedoms. Rather than doing what they want, the
government tells them what to do. Many people throughout history accepted this because the government
was able to protect them. By collecting taxes in the form of grain, governments in ancient Egypt had extra food
in case there was a drought and could give grain to people whose farms failed to grow enough. By collecting
taxes as money, governments in medieval Asia could pay for armies that protected their people from invaders.

Types of Government
Despite the fact that governments provide similar basic functions, there can be many, many kinds of
government. Some ways to define government include the sort of leadership, the relationship between
leaders and people, the amount of limitations on the power of the government, and the process of selecting
or changing the government.

One of the most basic ways to define a government is by the power of the leadership. In a monarchy, a single
ruler controls the government, such as a king or emperor. A monarchy may also be described as
authoritarian because the government alone determines the laws. This is different than a system of
government in which the people have a voice in government.

For example, a constitutional monarchy is ruled by a single leader, but their power is limited by a
constitution that gives rights to the people. Another example of a government with more equality is the
republic, where people elect representatives to run the government. Governments that give more power to
the people are very often democratic, which means that people have the power to vote, ensuring that their
opinions are heard.

In addition to these forms of government, another way to classify governments comes from their source of
power. An aristocracy is a government controlled by elite, upper-class citizens only. A meritocracy is a
government controlled by the people who are most qualified to be leaders, meaning they are educated in
government service. A theocracy is a government controlled by a leading member of a religious group. All of
these categories define different aspects of government, so they are not all exclusive.

For example, a monarchy can be authoritarian and a theocracy, if the monarch rules with absolute power and
rises to power as a leader in the religion. On the flipside, a democratic republic may also be a meritocracy if
the people vote on representatives who can demonstrate a minimum level of qualification for their positions.

As for our government in Videolia, since the government is given power only inside this video, we'll call it a

Support
videocracy. I'd say we make it a democratic videocracy, but voting may be hard across the video.

Lesson Summary
A government is the system by which a state or community is governed or the body of leaders who control a
state. Governments are very influential on the lives of people in the state, or geographic and political unit. The
government organizes people and resources to make the state run as efficiently as possible. Governments
also pass laws, which establish order and stability within the state, and then enforce those laws. Governments
also often protect people from invading armies, natural disasters, or other crises. This is why people are
generally okay sacrificing some personal freedom to government.

There are many kinds of government. Some are defined by the amount of power that the leader has. A
monarchy is ruled by a single leader, usually a king or emperor. A constitutional monarchy limits the power
of the monarch with a constitution that protects rights of the people. A republic government is entirely
composed of officials who are elected to represent the people.

Governments can also be defined by the way that leaders develop power. An example would be the
meritocracy, where government officials must be qualified above a certain level in order to hold offices.
There are many forms of government, but all of them define the lives of the people they govern.

Learning Outcomes
After you've completed this lesson, you should have the ability to:

Describe the purpose and roles of government

Identify different types of government defined by the leader's amount of power

Explain some different types of government categorized by the leader's source of power