Society at all times was a complex structure consisting of completely different types of people. Initially, such a thing as society did not exist at all. Because people were not united in one system. To date, everything has changed dramatically. Society is not only the basis of activity on the planet, but also the main component of any state. The last element deserves special attention. Like society as a whole, countries did not appear immediately. Their creation was preceded by a tribal community. The gradual growth of such a social formation necessitated its expansion, which, in fact, happened. Modern world states are really interesting structures. After all, they function as a single, multifaceted and intelligent mechanism of its kind, or even an organism. In addition, countries are not homogeneous. There are many varieties. Of great importance in this case is the form of government. This category characterizes several “centers of governance” for each country individually. Moreover, today there are a large number of forms. This allows you to divide the entire state according to this criterion, which facilitates the process of their direct study.
State concept
Of course, the form of government, the concept and types of which will be presented later in the article, largely characterizes the country from different perspectives. However, you must understand what constitutes the latter category. The state, taking into account the modern achievements of scientists in this field, is a completely independent entity, which is endowed with sovereignty and also has a coercive mechanism in its structure. In addition, any country has its own territorial frame.
The main features of the state
Given the concept of a country as a sovereign mechanism, its main features can be distinguished. On their basis, the state can be distinguished from other socio-political structures. There are a large number of scientific approaches to addressing this issue. But we can distinguish a number of classical features that characterize all states without exception. These include:
1) territory and property;
2) the state apparatus ;
3) population;
4) sovereignty.
In this case, the question arises: how does the form of government, the concept and types of which will be discussed later, correlate with the presented principles? In this case, everything is quite simple. Signs are those indicators that indicate the existence of the state. Therefore, before directly studying the form of a country, it is necessary to understand whether the socio-political structure is such at all.
Forms of government and government
Any country can be characterized from three positions, namely:
- forms of government;
- the ruling regime;
- forms of government.
The first two categories show the political component of state activity, that is, the effectiveness of the regulatory apparatus, the democracy of its activity, etc. In turn, the form of government is the country's territorial organization and the relationship between the elements of the entire structure. Among the rest of the analysis of the state, the territorial structure is the most stable. This is evidenced by the presence of only two main elements of this category.
It should be noted that many scientists talk about the existence of a close relationship between the form of government and government. In their opinion, the latter category determines the political system in a particular country. But, as we understand it, the statement about the influence of the territory on any processes within the state is very controversial.
Types of forms of government
We have previously indicated that there are two main forms of territorial structure of a country. The selection of these species occurs on the basis of the fact of the existence or absence of sovereignty among individual subjects of the entire system. Depending on this, the following forms of government are distinguished:
- a simple form to which unitary states belong;
- complex form, that is, federal.
It should be noted that the institution of government considers exclusively submitted forms. In this case, interstate associations do not belong to it, although many commonwealths, dominions, and other similar structures are in many respects similar to territorial types of organization. In addition, the forms mentioned above are complex independent phenomena. They are characterized by the presence of certain signs, types and a number of other features.
Unitary countries - concept
The forms of the national-state structure of the unitary type are simple, single countries, the territorial elements of which do not have any independence. Today, there are a lot of similar formations in the world. The bottom line is that they are easily controlled and stable. Coordination of the internal life of unitary states is carried out by a single center. Most countries today have such a territorial form.
The main features of unitary states
There are a large number of signs by which one can distinguish the forms of national-state structure of the mentioned type.
1. The power in the country is concentrated in the hands of a single center. That is, territorial units do not have independence in any issues. The hierarchy of all control branches is also clearly shown in this feature.
2. The system of legislation also has one level. As a rule, everything comes from the constitution, which is the basis of all legal relations of a unitary state society.
3. In unitary countries there is a single citizenship.
4. The territorial division has a nominal character. It is made only to facilitate public administration.
5. The monetary system, as well as citizenship, is also one.
As we see, the unitary form of government, the concept and types of which are presented in the article, is a convenient system that is easy to regulate. The principle of unity in this case is the main advantage.
Types of Common Powers
The unitary form of government is not the same on the entire planet. Depending on the severity of the hierarchy of authorities and the existence of autonomies, various types of countries of a single type can be distinguished. For example, depending on the availability of autonomies, scientists divide all unitary states into complex and simple. The latter countries are characterized by the fact that they do not have any autonomous entities. Moreover, there are states in which there is no administrative-territorial division at all. The complex unitary form of government implies the existence of autonomies, which, in turn, are divided into two types.
1. Territorial . Such autonomies, as a rule, take shape historically. They represent a part of the state’s territory, which is endowed with a certain freedom of “action”. That is, on a par with national authorities, autonomy can issue its own regulations.
2. Extraterritorial autonomies are “education without land”. As a rule, it consists of the ethnic totality of a certain part of the country's population, which is vested with the right to independently determine its identity by solving important social issues.
There is also a division of unitary states into centralized and decentralized. In the first case, there is a strict subordination of all authorities without exception. But decentralized countries are characterized by a significant role of local government in matters of the population of a certain region or other territorial unit.
Federated form: concept
We have already indicated that there are complex types of territorial organization of a country. Today, this is the federation. This form of administrative government is a structure consisting of relatively independent parts. That is, individual entities in the country have legal and de facto sovereignty. Of course, the independence of such entities does not concern all issues, but they regulate most of their activities on their own. Today, federations are no less than unitary powers. For example, the form of government in Russia is purely federal.
Signs of territorial distribution
The form of government of Russia is federation. However, not only our country is characterized by such a territorial distribution. Federations today are India, USA, Canada, etc. This fact makes it possible to highlight the main features of this territorial structure.
1. The subject of state power is divided between the whole country and its individual parts.
2. State bodies have a two-level structure. This meets the interests of the whole country and its individual components, entities.
3. Legislation also exists at two levels. Because territorial units are endowed with political and legislative independence.
4. In some countries, citizenship can be either nationwide or subjective. That is, a legal connection is established between a person and a certain territorial unit.
5. Scientists consider the presence of a bicameral parliament to be one of the essential features. Such a structure allows you to take into account the interests of both the whole country and its individual elements.
Federation classifications
A form of political government based on the independence of its elements is not a homogeneous structure. In most cases, it is impossible to identify completely identical federations, but it is quite realistic to classify them. There are several basic classifications depending on a particular attribute. Today, the main species division is based on the constitutional status of the subjects. Depending on it, there are:
- symmetric federations in which all subjects are equal;
- asymmetric federations characterized by the inequality of their territorial elements.
Another common classification is species separation based on the fact of the appearance of the state. For example, treaty federations are born by combining territorial units, while constitutional federations arise on the basis of a unitary country that existed previously.
Exit Federations
There are states with a complex territorial structure. But it is characterized by the fact that the subjects of such a country have the opportunity to withdraw from its composition, that is, are endowed with the right to secession. Such “soft federations” are not something innovative. For example, the Soviet Union was legally considered such a country.
As for the present, the “soft federation” is Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition, the union of Russia and Belarus is prophesied of rebirth into the described state.
Conclusion
So, in the article we tried to explain what constitutes a form of government. The concept and types of this institution testify to its development, as well as its exceptional importance. In addition, the formation of new territorial units in the world leads to the gradual evolution of this legal phenomenon. Thus, it remains only to monitor changes and their impact on all spheres of human life.