A band society is the simplest form of human society. A system of government is a term that refers to the set of political Institutions by which a Government of a State is organized in order to exert its powers Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions See also Form of government This article lists forms of government and Political systems according to a series of different ways of categorising them Anarchy (from αναρχία anarchía, "without ruler " may refer to any of the following "Absence of government a state of lawlessness Aristocracy is a form of Government, where rule is established through an internal struggle over who has the most status and influence over society and internal relations Authoritarianism describes a Form of government characterized by an emphasis on the Authority of the State in a republic or union An autocracy is a Form of government in which the Political power is held by a single self-appointed ruler A chiefdom is a type of complex society of varying degrees of centralization that is led by an individual known as a chief. This article is about a type of political territory For other uses see Colony (disambiguation. Communist state is a term used by many Political scientists to describe a Form of government in which the State operates under a one-party system Corporatocracy is a Neologism that describes a Government dominated by corporate influence banks and governments Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system Direct Democracy is a movement within the British Conservative Party dedicated to localism and Constitutional reform as a means of reviving public Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of the people's representatives Despotism is a Form of government by a single authority either an individual or tightly knit group, which rules with absolute political power A dictatorship is usually defined as an autocratic Form of government in which the Government is ruled by a Dictator. A military dictatorship is a Form of government wherein the political power resides with the Military; it is similar but not identical to a Stratocracy, Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period (17th century in its most classic sense refers to a Medieval Europe Political system composed A kleptocracy (sometimes cleptocracy, occasionally kleptarchy) ( root klepto+kratein = rule by thieves) is a term applied to a Kritarchy is a form of government ruled by judges It may have existed in Israel during the period of time described in the Book of Judges and exist in Somalia under the Meritocracy is a system of a government or another organization wherein Appointments are made and responsibilities are given based on demonstrated talent and Ability A monarchy is a Form of government in which supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in an individual who is the Head of state, often for life or Absolute monarchy is a monarchical Form of government where the king and queen have absolute power over everything A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is An empire (from the Latin " Imperium " denoting military Command within the ancient Roman government) is a State that Ochlocracy ( Greek: οχλοκρατία or okhlokratía; Latin: ochlocratia) is government by mob or a mass of people Oligarchy' ( Greek, Oligarkhía) is a Form of government where Political power effectively rests with a small elite segment Plutocracy is rule by the wealthy or power provided by wealth A puppet state is a State that is nominally independent but in reality under the control of another power A republic is a State or Country that is not led by a hereditary Monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people have impact on its Mixed government, also known as a mixed constitution, is a form of government that integrated facets of government by Democracy, Oligarchy, and Monarchy A constitutional Republic is a State where the Head of state and other officials are elected as representatives of the people and A parliamentary republic or parliamentary constitutional republic is a form of a Republic which operates under a Parliamentary system of government The term socialist state (or socialist republic, or workers' state) can carry one of several different (but related meanings In strictly speaking any A capitalist republic is a concept of government completely the reverse of Marxist thought Cybernetic revolt|Artificial intelligence in fiction The concept of Machine Rule is a common theme in Science fiction stories and film, in which an artificially A single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a type of Party system Government in which a single Political party Technocracy: A form of government in which scientists and technical experts are in control "technocracy is described as that society in which those who govern justify themselves Theocracy is a form of government in which a god or deity is recognized as the supreme civil ruler Theodemocracy is a political system theorized by Joseph Smith Jr Constitutional theory defines a timocracy as either a State where only property owners may participate in Government; or a government Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a concept used to describe Political systems where a State regulates nearly every aspect of public and private A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally consists of a Social group existing before the development of or outside of States Many anthropologists use A society is a Population of Humans characterized by patterns of relationships between individuals that share a distinctive Culture and Institutions A band generally consists of a small kin group, no larger than an extended family or clan. Extended family (or Joint family) is a term with several distinct meanings A clan is a group of People united by Kinship and descent, which is defined by perceived descent from a common ancestor Bands are often egalitarian and have very informal leadership; the older members of the band generally are looked to for guidance and advice and decisions are often made on a consensus basis,[1] but there are no written laws and none of the specialised coercive roles, e. Egalitarianism (derived from the French word égal, meaning equal) is a political doctrine that holds that all people should be treated as equals and have WikipediaConsensus here as this is the article namespace and that information is irrelevant to the reader Law is a system of rules enforced through a set of Institutions used as an instrument to underpin civil obedience politics economics and society Coercion (co-er-shion is the practice of compelling a person or manipulating them to behave in an involuntary way (whether through action or inaction by use of threats g. , police, seen typically in more complex societies. Bands' customs are almost always transmitted orally. A convention is a set of agreed, stipulated or generally accepted Standards norms social norms or criteria, often taking the form of Oral tradition, oral culture and oral lore is a way for a society to transmit history, literature, law and other Knowledges Formal social institutions are few or non-existent. Religion is generally based on family tradition, individual experience, or counsel from a shaman. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos All known band societies hunt and gather to obtain their food. A hunter-gatherer society is one whose primary subsistence method involves the direct procurement of edible plants and animals from the wild Foraging and Hunting (See Subsistence. Subsistence is the food necessary to sustain life The following is a list of subsistence techniques: Hunting and Gathering )
In his 1972 study, The Notion of the Tribe, Morton Fried defined bands as small, mobile, and fluid social formations with weak leadership that do not generate surpluses, pay no taxes and support no standing army. Morton Herbert Fried ( March 21, 1923 in Bronx New York - December 17, 1986 in Leonia New Jersey) was a distinguished Professor The word leadership can refer to Those entities that perform one or more acts of leading An army (from Latin Armata "act of arming" via Old French armée) in the broadest sense is the land-based Armed forces
Bands are distinguished from tribes in that tribes are generally larger, consisting of many families. A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally consists of a Social group existing before the development of or outside of States Many anthropologists use Tribes have more social institutions, such as a chief, big man, or elders. A traditional tribal chief is the leader of a Tribe, or the head of a tribal form of self-government A big man, within the context of Anthropology, refers to a highly influential individual in a Tribe, especially in Melanesia and Polynesia The term Elder (or its equivalent in another language is used in several different countries and organizations to indicate a position of authority Tribes are also more permanent than bands; a band can cease to exist if only a small group walks out. Many tribes are in fact sub-divided into bands; in the United States, some tribes are made up of official bands that live in specific locations. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the
With the spread of the modern nation-state to all corners of the globe, there are very few true band societies left. For the online game see Jennifer Government NationStates. The nation-state is a certain form of State that derives its legitimacy Some historic examples include the Shoshone of the Great Basin, the Bushmen of southern Africa, the pygmies (Mbuti) of the Ituri Rainforest in Africa and some groups of Indigenous Australians. The Shoshone ( or) are a Native American tribe with three large divisions the Northern the Western and the Eastern The Great Basin is a large arid region of the western United States. The Bushmen, San, Sho, Basarwa, ǃKung or Khwe are indigenous people of southern Africa that spans most areas of South Africa The Mbuti people or Bambuti as they are collectively called are one of several indigenous Hunter-gatherer groups in the Congo region of Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first known human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands.
Compare to Lineage-bonded societies
See also: First Nations Government, in which a "band" forms fundamental component. Lineage Bonded Societies are a type of Acephalous Society, predicated on claims of a common ancestor The fundamental legal unit of government for Canadian First Nations is the band.