When power is held by a select few – Oligarchy, Military Dictatorship (Junta), Theocracy and Plutocracy.
Oligarchy
An Oligarchy is when the state is ruled by a select group of people, and where the general public have very limited or no influence on that selection. Either there is no election, or there is limited candidacy for election.
Communist Dictatorship
Communist states generally have been oligarchies, as select party members who are members of a Central Committee hold the power, such as the People’s Republic of China. In Russia and Cuba there have been periods where the power was held by one person (Stalin or Castro). Many people today consider that modern Russia continues being an oligarchy.
Military Dictatorship
Military dictatorships are different to true dictatorships because power is held by a group of generals or a “junta”. These are rare as usually they become true dictatorships. The original power of the Spanish Right during the civil war was a military dictatorship, before Franco dominated it. The power in various Latin American countries began as military dictatorships such as the Argentine military rule in the 1980s. Many military coup d’etats begin as military dictatorships, and quickly evolve into true dictatorships.
Theocracy
Theocracies are states where the ruling power is held by select members of a religious group. Examples of this in the past are the Aztecs of Mexico, the Islamic Caliphate centred on Baghdad, and the Buddhist state of Tibet. Modern examples are the Islamic Republic of Iran, Afghanistan under Taliban rule, the infamous “Islamic State” or “Isis”, and the Vatican. The Vatican is different because the real power of the Vatican is not really confined with the territory of the Vatican State, meaning that it is weaker than one that is, such as Iran. This is true as many ruling bodies of predominantly Catholic states are not governed by the fear of damnation and the belief that the Pope is the right hand of God. As a result the Vatican State is in many ways a symbolic state, but it does still have considerable influence in the world.
Plutocracy
A Plutocracy is when the select group are the wealthy elite. There is some opinion that western democracies are becoming plutocracies, claiming that they are controlled by a select few who own the media and key industries, such as food and oil.