In political science, there are several forms of state governance. These systems of governance are the cornerstone through which the three basic governmental powers exist namely taxation, power of eminent domain and police power. Despite of its numerous varieties, there are two forms of government that reaches the extremes on both sides. The democratic republic and the absolute monarchy.
Democracy is a form of government through which the power resides from the people. It comes from the Greek words “demos” and “kratos” meaning popular power. Although there is no universally-accepted statutory definition of the term democracy, political scientist and common people alike refer democracy as a political system where popular mandate resides through an electoral process.
From, the words of Oscar Wilde, “Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people.”
Advantages of a Democracy
In a democratic form of government, the citizens are given a feeling of importance as they play an integral part in nation-building. People are given the right to choose their leaders and to push for legislative agendas through people’s initiative. More so, the general perception is that democracy is the main source of freedom and equality.
In democracy, the will of the majority is supreme even against the will of their leaders.
Disadvantages of Democracy
Each coin has two sides therefore, democracy, how good it may look has its “other” side. According to common observation, a great majority of the people especially the masses aren’t aware of the political landscape that’s happening in their country. Truth be told, majority of the people aren’t ready to be a “man for themselves” in terms of the electorate process.
The right of suffrage is a genuine right, but comes with it is the responsibility to weigh options and vote responsibly but sad to say people merely enforce their right without giving consideration to their duties.
Moreover, the popular choice isn’t always the right choice.
Monarchy on the other hand, is a form of government where power resides from an individual or a group of individuals referred to as monarchs. It’s usually led by a king or a queen whose term equals until his/her death or abdication. Monarchs hold unlimited political power over their subjects.
Advantages of Monarchy
Monarchs have the power to do either extreme good or extreme evil fro their people. It can also be noted that since monarch are the sole head of state, it would be easier for him/her to eradicate corruption based on the theory that in a monarchical form of government, corruption isn’t a crime against the people but a crime against the ruling monarch.
Disadvantages of Monarchy
Having a single person as the head of state is the main foundation of monarchy. However, it can play out as a double-edged sword which can be of great advantage or great disadvantage for the state. The growth and development of the nation solely depend on one individual.
If the monarch is an outstanding public servant, then it would be good for the nation but if the monarch is corrupt the nation will greatly suffer.
