-crat, -cracy, -cratic, -cratism, -cratically, -cracies

(Greek: a suffix; to govern, to rule; government, strength, power, might, authority)

Good laws derive from evil habits.

—Macrobius

Two characteristics of government are that it cannot do anything quickly, and that it never knows when to quit.

—Jeremy Thorpe
plutodemocratic (adjective) (not comparable)
A term that describes a country or state which claims to be a democracy but where the real power lies with those who are wealthy: The plutodemocratic government was nervous because it was facing open elections, allowing not only the affluent to vote or to be elected, but also those who were from the average economic group.
polycracy (s) (noun), polycracies (pl)
A government of many rulers; polyarchy: A polycracy is a form of ruling in which the power is in the hands of a multiple number of people.

A polycracy is not considered to be a dictatorship or a democracy.

polycratism (s) (noun), polycratisms (pl)
A kind of government by many rulers; polyarchy: In comparison to a monocracy type of government, polycratism involves different persons, although there may be a leader at the top.
psephocracy (s) (noun), psephocracies (pl)
The form of government that results from an election by ballot; representative government: In comparison to a democracy, psephocracy does not have a demotic involvement in the political procedure beyond the elections themselves.
ptochocracy (s) (noun), ptochocracies (pl)
Government by beggars, the rule of paupers: Ptochocracy consists of a governing body of the poor; loosely, the poor as a class.
Quotes: Bureaucracy, Bureaucrats, Part 1
After all is said and done, more is said than done: bureaucratic quotes.
Quotes: Bureaucracy, Bureaucrats, Part 2
After all is said and done, more is said than done: bureaucratic quotes.
sociocracy (s) (noun), sociocracies (pl)
Collective government ,or government by society as a whole: In a sociocracy it is said that the necessities of all the people are met.
statocracy (s) (noun), statocracies (pl)
A government or rule by the state alone: The system of a statocracy is one of the state and uncontrolled by ecclesiastical power.

A statocracy may include the army and military rule, a polity in which the army is the controlling power.

stratocratic (adjective), more stratocratic, most stratocratic
1. A reference to a government by the army; military rule; a polity in which the army is the controlling power: For Valerie, it was scary to think that a country could be stratocratic and be under the rules of the armed forces.
2. A description relating to a government or the rule by the state alone: In the book Kitty read, a stratocratic administration was under the power of the state or country and not controlled by ecclesiastical power in any way.
technocracy (s) (noun), technocracies (pl)
1. The control of society or industry by technical experts; a ruling body of such experts: Technocracy is a social system in which scientists, engineers, and technicians have high social standing and political power.
2. A doctrine that advocates the enlistment of a bureaucracy of highly trained engineers, scientists, or technicians to run the government and society: In Sam's philosophy class, technocracy was explained as being a hypothetical type of government in which professional scientists in power were to solve social problems with their expertise.

No nation has yet been governed as a technocracy, and the concept has been criticized as excessively materialistic and inadequately attuned to social, psychological, and artistic considerations.

—J. N. Hook, The Grand Panjandrum & 1,999 Other Rare, Useful,
and Delightful Words and Expressions.

Technocracy historically was a school of thought originating in the United States in the 1930s, arguing that the nation could be rescued from the Great Depression if politicians were replaced by scientists and engineers having the technical expertise to manage the nation's economy and natural resources.

Technocracy used growth and decline curves to predict a wide range of societal trends.

—Dictionary of Energy; published by Elsevier;
Oxford, U.K.; 2006; page 437.
technocratic (adjective), more technocratic, most technocratic
A reference to a bureaucrat who is intensively trained in engineering, economics, or some form of technology: A technocratic person can be a specialist in the field of economics who is part of a government by technicians.

A member of a technocracy, a technologist, or a technocratic individual who exercises administrative power in government, etc.

technocratism (s) (noun), technocratisms (pl)
The system of control of society or industry by technical experts; a ruling body of such experts: The theory of technocratism in the 1930s advocated the control of production and distribution by technicians and engineers.
teleocracy (s) (noun), teleocracies (pl)
An organization existing for a specific purpose: Teleocracy is a type of government or system designed to fulfil a certain aim with the intent in solving the current social problem or issue.
teleocratic (noun), more teleocratic, most teleocratic
Pertaining to a system of organisation especially founded for a certain purpose: In the newspaper it stated that a teleocratic group of authorities would shortly be in existence in order to solve the outrageous number of burglaries in the town.

Cross references of word families related directly, or indirectly, to: "master, lead, leading, ruler, ruling, govern": -agogic; agon-; arch-; dom-; gov-; magist-; poten-; regi-; tyran-.