Aristotle classification of government PDF

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Aristotle’s view on state Like Plato, Aristotle also starts with the rejection of sophist view that political society is the product of convention. On the other hand, he treats state as a natural institution possessing moral authority. According to Aristotle, state was developed from the family to satisfy the needs and desires of the people. The state aims at perfection of man and there was no contradiction between the individual and the state. According to Mcilwain , Aristotle believed that “the state is a natural destination of man and as such the man who thought of state were greatest human benefactors. He believed that it was wrong to believe that the state was association of isolated individual but that it was culmination of widening circles of human associations based on human wants”. Aristotle justified the natural character of the state with the help of theological arguments. He asserted that the true nature of man could be realized only in the state and since the man was a rational being the state was a rational institution. In the words of Professor Foster, “the lower forms of society , the village, for example, prove inadequate not only because they do not supply the needs of mans animal nature, but also because they do not adequately supply the needs of his rational nature. This latter can be supplied only in a political , as distinct, for example, from a purely economic society; and man’s rational nature finds its proper development only in political, as distinct from an economic activity”. Aristotle emphasized the organic nature of the state and asserts that a man finds his true meaning and significance of his life only in and through relation to the state. In the words of Ebenstein , Aristotle held that “the state is a natural community ; an organism with all the attributes of a living being”. The individual and all other associations draw all their importance from the state and without it they would stagnate and dye. No person can attain his fullness outside the state. Aristotle considers state as a supreme association because it is the highest of all the associations. Whereas every association aims at some good , the state “embraces all the rest, and aims in a greater degree than any other , at the highest good”. The state is a supreme association because it is the culmination of social evolution and also because man realizes his highest moral perfection in the state. In the family man reproduces himself, in the village he satisfies elementary wants of human companionship and in the state alone he realizes his entire self, and particularly the highest part of himself. In short, Aristotle considers the state as an association of men for the sake of best moral life. Functions of state The main objective of the state is to promote perfect and self sufficing life , by which Aristotle meant a happy and honorable life. For this purpose he wanted the state to create essential conditions for mental, moral and physical development of the people. He did not want to restrict the functions of the state to mere preservation of the rights of members against infringement by others or preservation of life and property of the members. On the other hand, he assigns to the state most positive function of promoting the good. It should train young minds in the way of righteousness and make the life of citizens supreme and moral. He considered the state like a mother to its citizens and its actions could legitimately extend to all affairs of the individual. In short, Aristotle considers state as a supreme association whose chief function is to make men moral. Classifications of constitution According to Aristotle, the character of the state was determined by the “constitution” or the “polity”, and a change in the constitution inevitably led to change in the state. Aristotle says that the state is a Kiononia but the Kiononia is embodied in the constitution. In short, he considers the constitution as an important factor which determines the character of the state.

As regards the constitution he defines it as the arrangement of magistracies in a state , especially of the highest offices. The nature of constitution depends on the seat of others. In other words, the constitution determines which of the state shall hold the highest office. For the supremacy is everywhere in the governing class of Polis and the governing class is the Polity. Aristotle emphasizes that the state changes its identity when the constitution changes. According to Aristotle, no constitution in the world is either absolutely good or bad but it is only comparatively good or bad. Classification of constitutions or states As Aristotle takes the constitution and the state as identical his classification of the former is also to be treated as the classification of the latter. His classification is based on two principle viz. quantitative and qualitative. The first takes into account the number of people in whom the sovereign power is rested whether it be one, few or many. The second takes into account the end which a government serves. If the government aims at the common interest of all the people, it is a pure form of government. On the other hand, if the government serves the private and selfish interest of the ruling class it becomes a corrupt or perverted government. Accordingly there are three pure forms of governments viz. Monarchy, Aristocracy and Polity in which the power rests with one, few and many and the same is used for the good of the community as a whole. On the other hand, these three pure forms of government have three perverted forms viz. Tyranny, Oligarchy and Democracy. His classification can be best understood through the following table

Number of persons in whom power is Pure form (Normal Perverted vested Government) form One Monarchy Tyranny Few Aristocracy Oligarchy Many Polity Democracy According to Aristotle, Polity was the best and the most practicable form of government because it possessed a healthy combination of liberty and wealth. He held that the best constitution was the one which was practicable. He was even willing to have a Monarchy provided the Monarch was enlightened. However, he asserts that Monarchy and Aristocracy have a tendency to degenerate and do not possess the qualities of moderation and stability which is a characteristic feature of Polity. Aristotle says that no form of government or constitution is permanent or ever lasting and the different forms of government keep on changing. This change,, according to Aristotle, takes place in a circle. The Monarchy, which is a Normal Government, gets degenerated in course of time and is replaced by Tyranny. In this way the process of change continues. This process of change envisaged by Aristotle is popularly known as Aristotle’s cycle of change. Criticisms Aristotle’s classification of state has been subjected to criticisms on the following grounds Firstly, it is said that his classification is not applicable to the present times in so far as it does not cover a number of Governments which exist at present viz. limited Monarchy, Totalitarian Government, Parliamentary Government, Federalism, etc. Secondly, Aristotle considers Democracy as a perverted form of government in which the government is run by many poor people. However, this notion of Aristotle is difficult to accept because the majority of people in a given society may be prosperous. Would it then mean that if the power is vested in such people it will not constitute a Democratic Government. In modern times Democracy makes no reference to the qualification of poverty

of the people and simply insists on the principle of equality. Thirdly, Aristotle considers Democracy as a degenerate or perverted form of Government, whereas in our times we consider it as the best form of government in which the individual gets maximum opportunities to develop his personality. Fourthly, Aristotle offers mainly a classification of governments and not states. In this respect he is guilty of confusing the two terms viz. Government and State. Fifthly, It is said that this classification is not based on any scientific principles. It is quantitative rather than qualitative. The distinction between Aristocracy and Polity is mainly based on numbers....