Essay Sample on Types of Regimes

According to Plato, there are five types of regimes, namely; Aristocracy, Oligarchy, Democracy, Timocracy, and Tyranny. Aristocracy is a regime where the power is vested in a small group ruling class. Those who are felt to be the most qualified are given the power to rule. There are two types of aristocracy, namely aristocracy of birth and non-hereditary aristocracy. Only the wise are allowed to rule in an aristocratic government.

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A timocracy is a form of a regime that arises from the aristocracy. It is termed as the government of the best. timocracy is a government that focuses on honor and glory, and Socrates aimed to understand how such governments are formed (Plato, n.d.). Plato imagined that the timocracy regime arose when everything was not okay in aristocracy. Although aristocracy is termed as the best form of government, no one is perfect, so people will, at some point, disobey the rules of the government. These people will have children, and the children will rule differently.

The third form of the regime is an oligarchy, which values property. Therefore, the rich are have power, and the poor have no power. The rich are incredibly obsessed with the accumulation of property (Plato, n.d.). Socrates' description of why timocracy turns into oligarchy was because people become greedier in their quest to be richer. The competition is on the wealthy, and the person who is honored is one who is the wealthiest. Virtue is no longer important, so people are influenced by selecting the wealthiest person to rule them. In an oligarchic city, people will do many things at the same time to become wealthier, and people will focus on making more money regardless of whether there is someone else who will lose or not.

Democracy arose from the oligarchy, and Socrates imagines that it was because the later form of regime di not constitute good ruling since a ruling system was absent. Since in oligarchy, there are few wealthy people, and many poor people problems fill the city (Plato, n.d.). The poor are ready to go against their rulers who are extraordinarily wealthy and establish a democratic government where they are the ones who rule. The rulers are selected by voting, and the regime is characterized by freedom.

Tyranny arises from democracy, so if a ruler fails to grant freedom, he is condemned by the people (Plato, n.d.). The people will have no fear of the government, but it is the government that will fear the people. The rulers will protect themselves by flattering the people, and the people will not obey the laws. In such a regime, there will be people who struggle to be heard, hardworking citizens who have little and the wealthy that are powerful.

Best Regime of Government

Democracy is the best form of government because the rulers are elected directly by the people (Plato, n.d.). Although this form of the regime is not perfect, it is better than the other four forms of government. In a democratic government, there is dignity, and the rights of the citizens are respected. Additionally, the citizens have the opportunity to elect their leaders not based on their wealth but on the criteria that the people see the most suitable. Some of the countries that are full democracies include New Zealand, Germany, Australia, Canada as well as Norway. New Zealand offers the highest level of freedom in the world hence the reason why it is ranked as the most democratic country in the World (Harris, 2018). For a country to be fully democratic, it should have an electoral system where the leaders are chosen. Additionally, the rights of the citizens should be cindered paramount; all laws applied to all the citizens and the citizens should be involved directly in the politics of the country.

Worst Regime of Government

Aristocracy is the worst form of the regime because power is vested in a small group consisting of the elites. Only those who are intelligent and moral can rule. This form of government originated from ancient Greece, where only the clergymen and the political clans were literate (Plato, n.d.). Members of wealthy families can be given a chance to rule as well as those who have religious backgrounds. Aristocrats not only enjoy political power but are also powerful both economically and socially. Some of the countries which practice aristocracy include Sparta, Rome as well as Athens. People from several families ruled these countries.

Plato's View of Democracy

Plato viewed democracy as the worst form of government since he believed that it was filled with don't care attitude as well as a spirit of forgiving. He also believed that for one to be a good ruler, he should have gifts that few have (Plato, n.d.). One cannot be a good man unless if he was raised in an environment that was good. A good man was also one who has good habits, and only a small class of people had these values; hence, the reason why they deserved to be rulers. I do not agree with this criticism because I believe that democracy is the best form of government, although just like any other form of government, it has its weaknesses.

References

Harris, B. (2018). These are the world's most democratic countries, according to The Economist. Retrieved 29 October 2019, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/02/nordic-countries-top-democratic-rankings-2017/

Plato, B. The Republic By Plato. Retrieved 29 October 2019, from http://www.idph.net/conteudos/ebooks/republic.pdf