What exactly is POLITY?? What does it mean? could you please give me a brief in your words and explain it?

I took political science and my teacher contrasted “polity” with “democracy”. He contrasted “monarchy” with “tyranny”. He also contrasted aristocracy with something, can’t remember.

Anyway, the point is, he contrasted one good with one bad.

Monarchy is a form of government by one person, and this is the ideal form of government, where the ruler will rule in a good, honest way. On the other hand, Tyranny is also government by one person, but this is a corrupt form of government.

So like monarchy and tyranny, is polity and democracy. Polity is the rule of “the many” but this government is the ideal form of government, the best possible government there is. Democracy, on the other hand, is also “rule by many” but a corrupt form of government. Where you won’t get absolute perfection.

Aristocracy is rule by the few, but not sure if it’s it’s good or bad. i think it’s bad, so i don’t know what the opposite is.

Ms Moi,

Polity is the form of government that a nation takes. We, as a country in the US have a ‘polity’ of capitalism. Cuba has a ‘polity’ of communism. Not too difficult a word but not seen too often either.

pol·i·ty (pl-t) KEY

NOUN:

pl. pol·i·ties

The form of government of a nation, state, church, or organization.

An organized society, such as a nation, having a specific form of government: “His alien philosophy found no roots in the American polity” (New York Times).

ETYMOLOGY:

Obsolete French politie, from Old French, from Late Latin polta, the Roman government ; see police

It was a term used in ancient Greece to refer to the many city-states that had an assembly of citizens as part of the political process.

Today, it usually refers to political organization of a group.