WHAT DOES THAT WORD MEAN?
We hear so many political words thrown about that mean different things to different people. Let’s look at these words in a very simple form.
DEMOCRACY – is a form of government where political power belongs to the people or the population. Democracy can include the right to life and liberty, freedom of assembly, personal property, freedom of religion and speech, citizenship, voting rights, and minority rights, but it doesn’t have to. The United States is a representative democracy. This means people vote for leaders to represent them. We are also governed by a Constitution. This limits power and protects rights. This system is called a Constitutional Democracy.
AUTOCRACY – is a government where one person or a small group rule over everyone else.
DICTATORSHIP – is a type of autocracy where one person holds all the power, which was usually seized by force. All dictatorships are forms of autocracy.
OLIGARCHY – is a type of autocracy run by a very small group of very powerful people. These are men of wealth, property or nobility, who control government and society.
FASCISM – is a specific type of autocracy where the government believes the nation or race is more important than individual people. It has a centralized, government run by a dictator. The government tightly controls the economy and society and suppresses all opposition.
NAZIISM – is a specific form of fascism created by Adolf Hitler and his German Nazi Party. It was based on a belief that the white race, especially the Germanic peoples were superior. Jews, Slavs, Romani people, among others, were considered inferior.
THEOCRACY – is a government run by religious leaders who believe they are guided by God. Laws are based on religion. One example is Iran, an Islamic Republic.
SOCIALISM is an economic system that tries to spread wealth more equally. Major industries are controlled by collective or government ownership. Services like healthcare and education are available to all. Socialist governments tend to reach their goals through democratic changes. Socialist programs exist in many capitalist countries, often there to ease the effect of Capitalism. This includes ours. Examples are Social Security, Veterans benefits and Medicare.
COMMUNISM is a form of Socialism where the power was usually taken by force and is controlled centrally. The government controls all major industries and resources. Private ownership is mostly removed and replaced with shared ownership.
CAPITALISM – is an economic system where a country’s trade, industry and resources are controlled by private owners. People have the right to private property, to accumulate wealth, to use wage labor and to make a profit. Capitalism does not need Democracy in order to function. It can operate inside democracies or autocracies.
[Published in local newspapers in Jan 2026 by Ben Boardmen and friends; shared on this website with permission. Email info@clarkdemocrats.org for more info about how to support BARN OWL in your local paper.]
