Its hard to seperate them, so let us talk about them all at once! Its fun to take inspiration from real life!

Probably a lot more stuff to add, but this is good for now.

Remember: a state is just a political entity. A country can be made up of states or a state can be a country.

Political Systems

Democracies

In a democracy, political power is vested into the population. A democracy can be a direct democracy or a representative democracy. In a direct democracy, all individuals have individual say in government and rule. In a representative democracy, however, individuals elect officials to represent them in government.

A representative democracy can be parliamentary or presidential. The parliamentary system allows representatives to dismiss members of government. The prime minister can be dismissed via a “vote of no confidence”. In many parliamentary democracies, the prime minister can call a snap election to perhaps gain a majority in parliament. Not all parliamentary democracies elect the head of government (prime minister) the exact same way, however, the head of state typically appoints the leader of the party with the most support in parliament to be head of government. The most well-known parliamentary democracy is the United Kingdom.

In the presidential system, voters elect a president that serves as both head of government and state for a period of time. The separation of powers characterizes the presidential system, the executive and legislature remain separate and work alongside each other, but can challenge each other (checks and balances). The most famous representative democracy is the United States

Note that just because a state is a representative democracy does not mean it cannot have elements of a direct democracy and vice versa. For example, referendums are widespread examples of direct democracy and are practiced by many countries and administrative divisions.

Oligarchies

In an oligarchy, political power is concentrated within a select group of individuals known as oligarchs. Oligarchs are typically wealthy and influential ruling elites.

A aristocracy is a government where political power is in the hands of aristocrats, a small elite ruling class.

A plutocracy is a government that ruled by the wealthiest, often businessmen.

In a stratocracy, the government is ruled by military leaders. The military conducts government duties and the government is administered by the military.

In a technocracy, government leaders are selected by relevant expertise and background. What this means is that the government is headed by scientists, engineers, and other relevant experts and technical staff. The most relevant examples include the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China.

In a corporatocracy, the government is controlled by corporations, offically or unoffically. An example is Guangdong from TNO.

In contrast, in a theocracy, the government is led by a class of religious officals and authorities. Afghanistan and Iran are considered theocracies.

Autocracies

In an autocracy, political power is held by one person. In an absolute monarchy, the monarch holds absolute power. In a dictatorship, a dictator holds absolute power. Dictatorships are often military dictatorships, formed in the aftermath of a coup. Some autocracies arise out of a self-coup; a self-coup is where the current ruler through political or military means continues to stay in power longer than is allowed.

Anarchies

In an anarchy, there is no central ruler. An anarchist state is a stateless society. Small-scale communtities may be organised.

Left-wing and Socialist Ideology

Communism

In the ideal communist society, there is no private property or social classes. The means of production, distribution, exchange are all undercommon ownership (owned by the people). Goods and services are allocated based on need. For worldbuilding purposes, it is important to note that communism would require an overabudance of goods and services to be able to freely provide goods and services to all.

Socialist Market Economy

China has a market economy, however, China also has a high level of public ownership through state-owned enterprises. What this means is while China has a market economy, and enjoys the benefit of competition and capitalism, the state also maintains control over the economy like in a typical socialist economy. This allows China to conduct economic planning and many other things to steer the country’s economy. Most chinese state-owned enterprises are given a monopoly over a sector and work in strategic sectors.

One Country Two Systems

In the one country two systems system, Hong Kong and Macau are Special Admininstrative Regions of the People’s Republic of China. The Chinese government governs military, high-level government affairs and some diplomatic affairs while the local SAR governments govern the rest. The differences between China and the Special Admininstrative Regions are great, incluiding different legal systems, policing, legislature, own borders, customs, immigration department,education system, passports, currencies, and more.

Anarchism

Anarchism argues for the end of government and authority and the creation of stateless societies.

Sort of in the centre ideologies

Capitalism

In a capitalist economy, there is private ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange. The goal of production is to produce profit. One of the most important aspects of capitalism is private property, an important pre-requistite to captialistm throughout history.

Laissez-faire economics argues for the absence of government and economic intervention in the economy.

In a free market economy, the price of good and services are determined by supply and demand. There is zero to minimal government intervention in the economy. However, governments often intervene via the use of taxes and duties.

State capitalism is where the state participates in the economy. For example, state-owned enterprises in China and Russia where the state is highly involved in economic activity.

Liberalism

Originating from the Enlightenment, Liberalism advocates for civil liberties, the right to private property, freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, economic freedom, a liberal democracy, and more.

Neoliberalism

Though a bit vague in its definition, is almost always associated with free-market capitalism and economic liberalization. Economic liberalization polices such as privatization, deregulation, reduction of trade barriers, free trade, and small government. Neoliberalism can be seen throughout the late 20th century and current 21st century as the dominant and increasingly dissapearing political ideology.

Corporatism

In Corporatism, society is organised into corporations (think groups not big businesses). These corporations are based on profession (mining, manufacturing, scientific) and politically represent their members. This allows corporations to collectively bargin and negotiate government and societal policy through common interest. Corporatism was used in Italy during the Second World War, which organised the Italian economy and society into corporations under the facist government.

Corporatism is not the same as corporatocracy. Corporatocracy refers to a government controlled by big business corporations.

Right-wing and authoritarian Ideology

Imperialism

Imperialism advocates for extending a country’s power and influence. Imperialism can be conducted with military, diplomatic, economic, or other forms of power. The goal of imperialism often is to maintain hegemony or rule over locations.

Colonialism

Colonialism is a practice where a foreign power seeks to expand and maintain political, social, economic, and cultural domination and rule over a territory and its peoples.

Colonisation is the act of establishing control of a foreign area by a foreign power. Settler colonialism is where settlers establish control over the foreign area. Often, they transform the area and assimilate the local population into their own culture.

Neocolonialism

Neocolonialism is where a country — often a developed or former colonial power — exerts control over a less developed country or former colony. In its modern sense, neocolonialism is not via traditional means of military control or political hegemony, but via economic and cultural influence and imperialism.

Nationalism

Nationalism states that a nation should have its own state. A nation is group of people with a collective national identity, bound by shared fatures like culture, land, language, history, and more.

Conservatism

Conservatism emphasizes traditional values, customs, and institutions. Of course, conservatism varies across the world and in fiction. In general, however, conservatism supports ideas that many may find outdated, ideas such as the monarchy, organized religion, property rights, and etc.

Authoritarianism

In an authoritarian society, the government supresses civil liberties: freedom of expression, thought, religion, and others are all discouraged. Most authoritarian regimes nowadays are under one-party rule or under military rule. In an authoritarian state, political legitimacy is dervied from the idea that the authoritarian state is necessary to combat certain problems such as insurgency or underdevelopment (Juan Liz, An Authoritarian Regime: Spain),

Totalitarianism

A totalitarian government seeks to control all aspects of society. Political opposition is outlawed and the government makes use of propaganda and ideology to control its citizens.

Feudalism

Feudalism is an economic and political system governed by a strict heiarchy. In the feudal pyramid, the peasantry would be at the bottom, they would exchange labour, food, and rent to knights. The knights would grand the peasants land to farm on and protection. The knights would give the nobility food and military service in exchange for protection and land. The nobility (and clergy but they remain mostly seperate) would recieve land, (a fiefdom) and protection. But in exchange, the nobility promised their loyalty, military aid, and would give pay the king or emperor.

Facism

Facism is characterised by its authortarianism and far-right ultranationalist ideology. Facism promotes corporatism as a way to organize society and the economy and to collectively govern national economic policy.

Tribalism

Tribalism describes a society organised into tribes. Think of human tribes hunting mammoths before settled agriculture.

Other

Republic

A republic is a form of government where political power is derived from the people.

Monarchy

In an monarchy, political power lies in the hand of a monarch. It is passed down through a ruling family.

In an electoral monarchy, the monarch is elected and serves for life.