Political Systems Around the World.

• Position: Brief article

Communist one-party state: Land and businesses are government-owned, and individual and political freedoms are severely limited. (Example: North Korea) The definition has become muddied, since China and Vietnam are allowing an increasing amount of private enterprise.

Constitutional monarchy: A king or gueen is head of state but has limited power. An elected parliament (legislature) chooses the prime minister, who leads the government. (Bhutan)

Dominant party: A system in which one political party rules. Other parties may exist but have relatively little power. (Russia)

Military rule: The leader of a country's armed forces controls the government. (Republic of the Congo)

Monarchy: A king, gueen, or prince rules the government, usually for life and by hereditary right. (Saudi Arabia)

One-party dictatorship: A single party and its leader hold power. (Eritrea)

Parliamentary democracy: Voters elect...