Could someone explain all the different government types?

Absolute Monarchy - Exactly what it says on the tin. You as king rule with the closest the game comes to representing as absolute power. You can appoint parties that are Liberal, Conservative, or Reactionary, but do not have elections. Most countries begin the game as an AM.

Prussian Constitutionalism - This is a title made by Paradox for Vic2 to represent the 'grey area' between an absolutist monarchy and a constitutional monarchy. Essentially, you remain as king with large amounts of power but are slightly balanced out with elections. You can appoint party and have elections. Most western absolute monarchies transition to PCs around 1860-1870. Socialists are now added to the list of appointable parties.

HM's Government - This is Vic2's representation of constitutional monarchy. You still can appoint parties, but you have elections and many political reforms. HM's Government also allows you to appoint every ideology in the game.

Presidential Dictatorship - This is a catch-all term for a dictatorship without a hereditary head of state. As such, PDs can represent everything from banana republics to military dictatorships. You can only have reactionary parties in power, and there are no elections. This government can easily transition to democracy, if you are so inclined.

Bourgeois Dictatorship - This is the closest you'll come to having no government at all. I can't really come up with any historical examples of a BD. You can only have an anarcho-liberal party in power, and there are no elections. Avoid this government like the plague since it forces you into using Laissez-Fair (worst economic policy) with none of the bonuses of the other authoritarian governments.

Proletarian Dictatorship - This government represents your average run-of-the-mill totalitarian Communist state, the Soviet Union being the best example. You can only have Communist parties in power, and there are no elections.

Fascist Dictatorship - This covers all of the myriad fascist and quasi-fascist governments of the world, ranging from Mussolini's Italy to Franco's Spain to Nazi Germany. You can only have Fascist parties in power and there are no elections.

Democracy - This is a very broad governmental category that represents a democratic state with no hereditary monarch. As such, this can cover everything from hippie utopias to rather authoritarian states where only the aristocracy and capitalists can vote. You cannot appoint parties, but have elections. All political parties are allowed.


Revolution: Typically, the government type that a rebellion wants is somewhat evident from their name.

Communists (Red Guards) = Proletarian Dictatorship
Fascists (Freikorps) = Fascist Dictatorship
Reactionaries (White Army) = Absolute Monarchy (if monarchy or presidential dictatorship) or Presidential Dictatorship (any non-monarchial gov.)
Jacobins (Republican Guard) = HM's Government (if monarchy) or Democracy (if HM's gov. or other type)
Anarcho-Liberals (Citizen Guard) = Bourgeois Dictatorship

Reform: Reforming your government is a longer process than revolution, but leaves your country far more intact and stable. You reform by having more than 50% liberals in your Upper House, though 25% of socialists will also vote for political reforms. If you want to go straight for changing your government type, than I recommend reforming Voting Strata and Upper House Composition first.

Reaction: On the other hand, if you want to make your government less liberal, you'll need at least 50% reactionaries in your Upper House. My recommendation for changing gov. type stands the same as with reform.

Not an expert, but as I see it, there are 3 basic government types:
Absolute Monarchy - The majority of the countries start with this. You are King, and you alone control the government. Your people are not permitted to vote. You can select your ruling part (reactionary, conservative, liberal etc.) and your people don't react to which you choose. Under this government type in general, people gradually gain consciousness & militancy. To change out of this government type, either allow rebels to take over your country or allow your people to vote. I think selecting a liberal ruling party allows you to make this change. If you do allow your people to vote, you'll change to a constitutional monarchy. I categorize presidential dictatorship in this category with the possible exception that allowing voting rights will change to you a democracy (not sure I've ever played as a presidential dictatorship)

Constitutional Monarchy - A few countries start with this government, (UK & France for example). HM's monarchy and Prussian constitutionalism as far as I know are generally the same. You are king but there are limits to your power. Your people are allowed to vote for a ruling party. Elections happen every few years. However, you are able to select your ruling party if you don't like their choice. This change adds militancy to your population though. IMO, this is the best government type as it allows you to select your ruling party, while still gaining benefits of a democracy (people like being able to vote & lose militancy/conscousness). As far as I know there's no way to change this government type, except through rebels.

Democracy - Most countries in North & South America start with this government. You are a President, you rule through the consent of your people. They vote and you are not permitted to change ruling party. If you don't like their decision, you can call a new election and try to steer your peoples opinions over time. Again, you can't change this government type except through rebels.

The specific government types generally fall into one of these 3 types with a few exceptions. If you allow rebels to take over there may be some limits. If Communists take over, you'll function like a absolute monarchy in that there are no elections, but can't select non-socialist ruling parties. Fascists won't have elections either, but will of course have reactionary ruling parties.

So in summary, what your government determines 1) Can your people vote. 2) Can you select your ruling party.
As best I can tell, there's no difference between HM's government & prussian constitutionalism.

falloutboy14 said:

Not an expert, but as I see it, there are 3 basic government types:
Absolute Monarchy - The majority of the countries start with this. You are King, and you alone control the government. Your people are not permitted to vote. You can select your ruling part (reactionary, conservative, liberal etc.) and your people don't react to which you choose. Under this government type in general, people gradually gain consciousness & militancy. To change out of this government type, either allow rebels to take over your country or allow your people to vote. I think selecting a liberal ruling party allows you to make this change. If you do allow your people to vote, you'll change to a constitutional monarchy. I categorize presidential dictatorship in this category with the possible exception that allowing voting rights will change to you a democracy (not sure I've ever played as a presidential dictatorship)

Constitutional Monarchy - A few countries start with this government, (UK & France for example). HM's monarchy and Prussian constitutionalism as far as I know are generally the same. You are king but there are limits to your power. Your people are allowed to vote for a ruling party. Elections happen every few years. However, you are able to select your ruling party if you don't like their choice. This change adds militancy to your population though. IMO, this is the best government type as it allows you to select your ruling party, while still gaining benefits of a democracy (people like being able to vote & lose militancy/conscousness). As far as I know there's no way to change this government type, except through rebels.

Democracy - Most countries in North & South America start with this government. You are a President, you rule through the consent of your people. They vote and you are not permitted to change ruling party. If you don't like their decision, you can call a new election and try to steer your peoples opinions over time. Again, you can't change this government type except through rebels.

The specific government types generally fall into one of these 3 types with a few exceptions. If you allow rebels to take over there may be some limits. If Communists take over, you'll function like a absolute monarchy in that there are no elections, but can't select non-socialist ruling parties. Fascists won't have elections either, but will of course have reactionary ruling parties.

So in summary, what your government determines 1) Can your people vote. 2) Can you select your ruling party.
As best I can tell, there's no difference between HM's government & prussian constitutionalism.

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There is a difference, but it's a subtle one -- HM's governments can have socialist, communist, Anarcho-Liberal, or Fascist ruling parties. Prussian constitutionalism can't.

Avindian said:

There is a difference, but it's a subtle one -- HM's governments can have socialist, communist, Anarcho-Liberal, or Fascist ruling parties. Prussian constitutionalism can't.

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Are you sure about this? I thought PC could have those in power if they win the election. They just can't appoint them as ruling parties.

Mirza Khan said:

To everyone who replied to this thread, thanks for your help!

One thing I am still curious about-how do you change from Prussian Constitutionalism to HM's Government? I once had a game as Prussia where I'd made every Political reform, except that I still had state trade unions, and my government form was still Prussian Constitutionalism.

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You need non-secret or secret ballots; that's the only criteria.

Ustaoset said:

Are you sure about this? I thought PC could have those in power if they win the election. They just can't appoint them as ruling parties.

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You might be right, but I've never seen one of those parties win a PC election. I've just assumed it was impossible.

Actually what the Prussian Constitutionalism means is the state-form which was in the first German Kaiserreich "Pseudo-Constitutional Semi-Absolutism" how it was called in my book ( Socio-economics class, last year, Ahhhh <3)

I've had the anarcho-liberals win elections while I was Prussian Constitutionalism, so it can happen. You just can't appoint them yourself (only disappoint them ).

Straigthtsilver said:

Government Types​

Bourgeois Dictatorship - This is the closest you'll come to having no government at all. I can't really come up with any historical examples of a BD. You can only have an anarcho-liberal party in power, and there are no elections. Avoid this government like the plague since it forces you into using Laissez-Fair (worst economic policy) with none of the bonuses of the other authoritarian governments.

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I understand that the game put sit that way but why is there no advantages to Laissez-Fair, in real life LF/LF influenced economies do very well and it seems the game gives it a bad rep. Any ideas on how one could change that?

thewookie1 said:

I understand that the game put sit that way but why is there no advantages to Laissez-Fair, in real life LF/LF influenced economies do very well and it seems the game gives it a bad rep. Any ideas on how one could change that?

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There are advantages to using LF. There's a very significant modifier to all factory production. It's not very good for a beginning industrial power, but it's excellent once it's better developed. PI keeps improving Capitalist AI; it's still far from perfect but LF is not the worst economic policy.

Planned Economy is.

Avindian said:

There are advantages to using LF. There's a very significant modifier to all factory production. It's not very good for a beginning industrial power, but it's excellent once it's better developed. PI keeps improving Capitalist AI; it's still far from perfect but LF is not the worst economic policy.

Planned Economy is.

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In all seriousness, I think some of the capi's should make horrible choices, it's a risk of a real LF economy, and it should be a risk in game as well.

fenwayb said:

In all seriousness, I think some of the capi's should make horrible choices, it's a risk of a real LF economy, and it should be a risk in game as well.

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If the capitalists made a bad choice, then the factory would quickly go bankrupt and the capitalists would build a new one.

LF is great for when you have a developed economy. Running everything in a large developed country would be a micromanagement nightmare. Even in undeveloped countries LF is not that bad.

Jlop985 said:

If the capitalists made a bad choice, then the factory would quickly go bankrupt and the capitalists would build a new one.

LF is great for when you have a developed economy. Running everything in a large developed country would be a micromanagement nightmare. Even in undeveloped countries LF is not that bad.

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My comment was to people claiming that capi ai needs to be fix (though to a point it does); capi's should make bad choices every once in a while.

fenwayb said:

My comment was to people claiming that capi ai needs to be fix (though to a point it does); capi's should make bad choices every once in a while.

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I wholeheartedly agree with your point; if you got the impression I didn't I'm sorry. I guess I'm a little overzealous in defending L-F some times

thewookie1 said:

I understand that the game put sit that way but why is there no advantages to Laissez-Fair, in real life LF/LF influenced economies do very well and it seems the game gives it a bad rep. Any ideas on how one could change that?

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In real life, Laizes Faire (which was a popular style in early 19th century) created trouble so Interventionism became the norm later on. Well, thats at least what I remember from what my college thought me a year or two ago when we discussed LF.

How do you change from Presidential Dictatorship to Democracy? I read in a 1.2 AAR that Harassed Parties and Landed Only voting was enough, but I finally managed that and three months later, no "Thaw" (I've triggered the event before, but very late game and did not watch carefully how it happened). Upper house is already appointed, if that matters (though it'd have to be, I suppose).


EDIT - Did a search. "Thaw" is only in the localization, but that points to event 60050, which requires that I pull three triggers:

country_event = {
id = 60050
title = "EVTNAME60050"
desc = "EVTDESC60050"
picture = "Unite"

trigger = {
OR = {
government = proletarian_dictatorship
government = presidential_dictatorship
government = bourgeois_dictatorship
government = fascist_dictatorship
}
AND = {
NOT = {
political_parties = underground_parties [I did this, it's "Harassed"]
vote_franschise = none_voting [I have "Landed Only", which is not nobody]
upper_house_composition = party_appointed [I have "Appointed", which is not ruling party only]
}
}
}

mean_time_to_happen = {
months = 1
}

option = {
name = "EVTOPTA60050"
government = democracy
}
}

"mean_time_to_happen = months = 1" Just means I have to be a bit more patient!