hereditary rule

(noun)

Hereditary rule is a form of government in which all the rulers come from the same family, and the crown is passed down from one member to another member of the family.

Related Terms

Examples of hereditary rule in the following topics:

  • Monarchy

    • Hereditary rule is often a common characteristic, but some monarchs are elected (e.g., the Pope), and some states with hereditary rulers are nevertheless considered republics (e.g., the Dutch Republic).
    • Most states only have a single person acting as monarch at any given time, although two monarchs have ruled simultaneously in some countries, a situation known as diarchy.

  • Monarchies and Liberal Democracies

    • Monarchies are associated with political or sociocultural hereditary rule, in which monarchs rule for life (although some monarchs do not hold lifetime positions).

  • Types of States

    • Hereditary rule is often a common characteristic, but elective monarchies are also considered monarchies (e.g., The Pope) and some states have hereditary rulers, but are considered republics (e.g., the Dutch Republic).
    • Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a political system that strives to regulate nearly every aspect of public and private life.
    • An oligarchy does not have to be hereditary or monarchic.
    • An oligarchy does not have one clear ruler, but several powerful people who rule.
    • However, if any democracy is not carefully legislated with balances, such as the separation of powers, to avoid an uneven distribution of political power, then a branch of the system of rule could accumulate power and become harmful to the democracy itself.

  • Types of Governments

    • Hereditary rule is often a common characteristic, but elective monarchies are also considered monarchies (e.g., The Pope) and some states have hereditary rulers, but are considered republics (e.g., the Dutch Republic).
    • However, if any democracy is not carefully legislated to avoid an uneven distribution of political power with balances, such as the separation of powers, then a branch of the system of rule could accumulate power and become harmful to the democracy itself.
    • The "majority rule" is often described as a characteristic feature of democracy, but without responsible government it is possible for the rights of a minority to be abused by the "tyranny of the majority".
    • Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a political system that strives to regulate nearly every aspect of public and private life.
    • A Communist state is a state with a form of government characterized by single-party rule of a Communist party and a professed allegiance to an ideology of communism as the guiding principle of the state.

  • Power, Authority, and Violence

    • For example, while a mob has the power to punish a criminal, for example by lynching, people who believe in the rule of law consider that only a court of law has the authority to order capital punishment.
    • It is that form of authority which depends for its legitimacy on formal rules and established laws of the state, which are usually written down and are often very complex.
    • The right of hereditary monarchs to rule like the King of Saudi Arabia is an example.

  • Charismatic Authority

    • In politics, charismatic rule is often found in various authoritarian states, autocracies, dictatorships, and theocracies.
    • According to Max Weber, the methods of charismatic succession are search, revelation, designation by original leader, designation by qualified staff, hereditary charisma, and office charisma.

  • Caste Systems

    • Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines some or all elements of endogamy, hereditary transmission of occupation, social class, social identity, hierarchy, exclusion, and power.
    • Serf mobility was heavily restricted, and in matters of marriage and living arrangements, they were subject to rules dictated by the State, the Church, by landowners, and by often rigid local custom and tradition.

  • Sociobiology

    • Variants of hereditary traits, which increase an organism's ability to survive and reproduce, are more likely to be passed on to subsequent generations.

  • Social Class

    • This corresponded to a general decrease in the significance ascribed to hereditary characteristics and an increase in the significance of wealth and income as indicators of position in the social hierarchy.
    • While hereditary characteristics, such as being born into a wealthy family, continue to influence the ease with which one establishes adult social standing, the model that emphasizes class and achieved status maintains the status quo in capitalistic societies, particularly the United States.

  • Formal Structure

    • Formal structure of an organization or group includes a fixed set of rules for intra-organization procedures and structures.
    • The formal structure of a group or organization includes a fixed set of rules of procedures and structures, usually set out in writing, with a language of rules that ostensibly leave little discretion for interpretation.
    • Formal rules are often adapted to subjective interests giving the practical everyday life of an organization more informality.
    • A formal organization is a fixed set of rules of intra-organization procedures and structures.
    • As such, it is usually set out in writing, with a language of rules that ostensibly leave little discretion for interpretation.