Page 81 - Wholeness
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Aristotle (b. 384 BCE) gave the basic ideas about government
and politics a long time ago.
In his work, Politics, Aristotle tried to establish which form of
government was the best. He classified political regimes
according to two principles: who holds power and in whose
interest is it exercised.
According to Aristotle, there are six kinds of government.
The good forms of government are:
MONARCHY, if one person rules for the benefit of the people.
ARISTOCRACY, the rule of the best few in the state.
DEMOCRACY, the rule of the people elected by the majority.
The bad forms of government are:
TYRANNY, the rule of one person (most often coming to power
by force)
OLIGARCHY, the rule of the richest, who only have their own
best interest in mind.
OCHLOCRACY, the rule by the populace, mob ruling, who only
do evil.
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