What are the different political systems? Political systems are either authoritarian or democratic. In authoritarian systems, power is vested on one person or a small group of people. A dictatorship...

What are the different political systems? Political systems are either authoritarian or democratic. In authoritarian systems, power is vested on one person or a small group of people. A dictatorship is a totalitarian political authority that extends to all of social life. In contrast, in a democracy, power is vested in the people. Democracy can be participatory (which works in smaller groups) or representative, which requires educated citizens and a free press. Seventy percent of the world governments are democracies. Some nations call themselves a democracy but are actually full of corruption or ruled by bureaucracies. Weber said bureaucracies are antagonistic to democracy and lead to leadership by an unelected elite. Additionally, inequality manifests in politics in many ways. The rich have more power than the poor, corporations have more power than individuals, and minorities are underrepresented among elected government officials.