The typology of political regimes can be built on the basis of various approaches to the definition of this category. In this matter there are a lot of opinions, often the opposite. For example, Robert Dahl, defining the types of political regimes, relies on the following criteria: the degree of citizen participation in governing the country and the ability to compete in the struggle for power. He distinguishes between polyarchy, competitive oligarchy and hegemony of two types - closed and open. The latter imposes the most severe restrictions. Hegemony forbids even the slightest manifestation of the opposition. The oligarchs allow competition, but only one that does not go beyond the elite. Polyarchies are closest to democracy. In addition, there are also mixed types of political regimes.
Some researchers as independent groups include liberalizing, one-party, military, transitional, quasi-democratic types of government. So thought, for example, Samuel Huntington. He identified the following types of political regimes: military, one-party, racial oligarchy and personal dictatorship. That is, the classification depends on what tasks are facing the analysis of a particular form of government.
Nevertheless, the types of political regimes proposed by Juan Linz, a scientist from the United States, were most prevalent. He believed that there were only five of them: authoritarian, democratic, sultanist, totalitarian and post-totalitarian. All of them are ideal options that have their own characteristics. The signs of a political regime make it possible to distinguish it from other types. Juan Linz identified four such criteria. This is the level of pluralism in society, political mobilization, the constitutionality of power and the degree of ideologization.
For some regimes, for existence it is simply necessary to mobilize the masses that would support them. These include totalitarian and post-totalitarian. And others do not even seek to involve their citizens in politics. The level of political pluralism begins with the concentration of power in one person. Under monism, the level of free thought is very limited; opinions are controlled by a single figure. The highest degree of ideologization of the population, naturally, in societies with a post-totalitarian or totalitarian regime of government. The constitutionality of power is the presence or absence of restrictions on the use of its powers, as well as their consolidation in a formal way. Borders and prohibitions can be fixed in traditions, ideology, customs, religion. So, the powers of power have a limit for different types of democratic (constitutional) regimes. In unconstitutional, they, accordingly, are not limited by anything.
Some features of non-democratic forms of government are discussed below.
Under a totalitarian regime, a certain group promotes and supports the leader, whose personality is the whole political system. In order to ensure his dominance, methods and means such as propaganda and open violence are used. Absolutely all aspects of the life of society, even private relations, are subject to nationalization. Often even representatives of the ruling authorities are subjected to repressions with a preventive purpose: so that others are afraid, so that it is not good.
The authoritarian regime, as defined by Juan Linz, has the following features:
1) political freedom of thought is limited;
2) there is no clear, developed ideology;
3) there is no political mobilization, the population almost does not participate in the life of society;
4) the boundaries of the leader (power, elite) are formally and predictable.
Based on these criteria, authoritarianism is divided into several varieties:
-military-bureaucratic regime;
-corporate authoritarianism;
-dototalitarian;
postcolonial;
racial democracy.
