CHAPTER VII. 



Of the Principles op Political, Organization. 



§ 57. Aristotle's Classification of the Forms of Oovernment. 



There are many principles upon which the forms of government may 

 be divided, and as many different systems of classification. Hence, the 

 several classifications adopted by political writers are numerous, and, on 

 account of the neglect to distinguish between the different principles of 

 division — it may be added — extremely bewildering. A certain unity, 

 however, results from the fact that publicists generally seem to have 

 agreed in accepting, in a more or less modified form, the classification 

 proposed by Aristotle ; witli wiiicli, therefore, every exposition of the 

 forms of government must naturally begin. 



This classification is based on two distinct principles, and may be said 

 to be a combination of the two corresponding classifications. 



The first of these consists in the division of governments into (1) 

 those which have, or, rather, are so constituted as to have the common 

 good as their end ; and (2) those which have for their end, the good of 

 the rulers only. The former are called by Aristotle, normal; the latter, 

 perverted, forms. 



The second classification is based merely upon the consideration of the 

 number of Individuals in whom the supreme power of the government is 

 vested. This, he says, "must be vested, either in an individual, or in a 

 few, or in the many."* Accordingly, the several forms of government 

 may be divided into (1), Monarchy, or, as Kant prefers to call it, Autoc- 

 racy,\ the government of one; (2) Oligarchy, the government of a 

 few, and (3) Democracy, or Ochlocracy, the government of the many. 

 But, with regard to the last, the term "democracy" is misleading. 

 The demos, or people, consists of all the members, or at least all the free 

 members of the community, men, women and children, all of whom can- 

 nut participate in the government; and the term, "ochlocracy" — the 

 government of the mob — though more accurate, carries with it an oppro- 

 brious sense, that is out of place in the impartial realm of science. The 

 occasion, therefore, seems to demand the invention of a new term, and 

 perhaps no better for the purpose can be suggested than the term Poly- 

 archy ; which precisely expresses the idea intended, without either ap- 

 proval or disapproval. 



Combining these two classifications, there will result six forms of gov- 

 ernment — three normal and three perverted. 



Of these the normal forms are called by Aristotle, (1) Monarchy, the 



*Po/., iii, Chaps, vi, vii. f Phil of Law, p. '207. 



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