Final answer:
To categorize the rule style of governments, it's important to look at power distribution and how leaders gain power. This includes democracy where power is broadly distributed and authoritarian systems with concentrated power. Unitary, federal, and confederations have distinct advantages and disadvantages in terms of law-making, power distribution, and potential for tyranny.
Step-by-step explanation:
Categorizing Styles of Government Rule
To categorize the style of rule for each type of government, it's essential to consider how power is distributed and how leaders gain authority. Political scientists have highlighted that the broader the distribution of government power, the more democratic the nation is; whereas the more concentrated the power, the more authoritarian the regime is. National governments are commonly structured as unitary, where legal authority resides with the national government, or federal, like the United States, where there are clearly defined powers at both the national and state level.
More specifically, common forms of governments such as monarchy, oligarchy, dictatorship, and democracy can be analyzed through their essential characteristics and real-world examples. They often fall under larger categories like authoritarianism, which includes dictatorships and totalitarian systems, where leaders typically gain power through force or heredity, and democracies, where leaders are elected and power is more evenly distributed. Finally, confederation systems focus more on states’ rights and are less common due to their weaker centralized governments and potential for internal power struggles.
Comparison of government systems reveals advantages and disadvantages. In a unitary system, laws are uniformly applied and easier to pass, but this concentration of power can lead to tyranny. Federal systems avoid tyranny by distributing power, yet they can experience power struggles, as in the case of the American Civil War. Confederations are in closer touch with citizens' needs, but they may lack cohesion and face the risk of disintegration.