Your government type influences your cities' productivity and commerce, your citizens' happiness, and many other game factors.
You start out ruling your civilization through Despotism. As your technology improves, you can select other forms of government (listed below). In order to change your form of government, you must start a revolution. This will cause your civilization to undergo a period of Anarchy (lasting 1-5 turns); at the end of this time, you will be able to choose your new government.
TIP 1: Offensive military campaigns are difficult under Republican and Democratic governments unless you give your citizens lots of luxuries to keep them happy. When conquering other civilizations, it may be helpful to switch to one of the more militant styles of government.
TIP 2: Scientific advancement requires high levels of trade, which are much easier to achieve under Republican and Democratic governments. Consider switching to the Republic as soon as you can; gaining advanced technology early in the game puts you at an advantage.
Anarchy is simply the absence of any recognizable government. Citizens are disorganized and unproductive, and will spend all income as quickly as possible, rather than paying taxes or conducting research.
Buildings and technologies do not require any upkeep.
Each worked tile that gives more than 2 Food, Shield, or Trade will suffer a -1 penalty, unless the city working it is celebrating. (Cities below size 3 will not celebrate.)
Each city can support up to 2 units for free; further units each cost 1 shield per turn.
Military units do not cause unhappiness even when deployed aggressively.
Military units impose martial law. Up to 3 military units inside a city will each force 1 unhappy citizen to become content.
You have no control over tax rates. Half of the trade income is simply lost to your economy (less if you have luxury-promoting buildings), and the remainder all goes to luxuries. Conventional corruption increases with distance from the capital (half as fast with knowledge of The Corporation).
Base production waste is 30%. This increases with distance from the capital (half as fast with knowledge of Trade).
Features:
Under a Tribal government, you are part ruler of your people. Your control over your citizens is maintained largely by spiritual counsel.
Compared to Despotism, a Tribal economy is more shield-oriented. Its bonuses to veterancy can be an advantage in wartime, but it lacks the martial law of other early governments.
Increases by half the chance of land units getting the next veteran level after a battle.
Each worked tile that gives more than 2 Food, Shield, or Trade will suffer a -1 penalty, unless the city working it is celebrating. (Cities below size 3 will not celebrate.)
Each city gets 1 extra content citizen.
Each city can support up to 2 units for free; further units each cost 1 shield per turn.
Unlike later governments, military units do not cause unhappiness even when deployed aggressively.
Base corruption is 30% (the highest under any government). This increases with distance from the capital (half as fast with knowledge of The Corporation).
There is no base level of production waste, but an increasing amount with distance from the capital (half as fast with knowledge of Trade).
Features:
Under Despotism, you are the absolute ruler of your people. Your control over your citizens is maintained largely by martial law.
Compared to Tribalism, a Despotic economy is more trade-oriented.
Your centers of government (cities with Palace and Ecclesiastical Palace) get a +75% bonus to gold production.
Each worked tile that gives more than 2 Food, Shield, or Trade will suffer a -1 penalty, unless the city working it is celebrating. (Cities below size 3 will not celebrate.)
Each city can support up to 2 units for free; further units each cost 1 gold per turn.
Unlike later governments, military units do not cause unhappiness even when deployed aggressively.
Military units impose martial law. Up to 3 military units inside a city will each force 1 unhappy citizen to become content.
Base corruption is 20%. This increases with distance from the capital (half as fast with knowledge of The Corporation).
Base production waste is 10%. This increases with distance from the capital (half as fast with knowledge of Trade).
Features:
Under Monarchy, a king or queen serves as a hereditary figurehead for your government.
Monarchy gives low unit upkeep costs.
Your centers of government (cities with Palace and Ecclesiastical Palace) get a +50% bonus to gold production.
Celebrating cities produce one extra trade point for every tile which is already producing trade. (Cities below size 3 will not celebrate.)
Each city can support up to 3 units for free (the maximum possible); further units each cost 1 gold per turn.
Each city tolerates up to 3 aggressively deployed military units; each further unit causes 1 unhappy citizen.
Military units impose martial law. Up to 3 military units inside a city will each force 1 unhappy citizen to become content.
Base corruption is 10%. This increases with distance from the capital (half as fast with knowledge of The Corporation).
Base production waste is 20%. This increases with distance from the capital (half as fast with knowledge of Trade).
Requires knowledge of the technology Monarchy.
Features:
A Communist government is based on the ideal that all people are equal. All goods are owned by the state, rather than by private citizens. Communism gives a balance between military and commercial styles of government.
Communism is a good government for maximizing shield production, and for large empires.
City improvements which would normally have an upkeep of 1 gold are free of upkeep.
Each city can support up to 3 units for free (the maximum possible); further units each cost 1 shield per turn.
Each city tolerates up to 3 aggressively deployed military units; each further unit causes 1 unhappy citizen.
Military units impose martial law. Up to 3 military units inside a city will each force 2 unhappy citizens to become content (the maximum possible).
Base corruption is 30%, but is not affected by distance to the capital.
There is no production waste.
Requires knowledge of the technology Communism.
Features:
Fundamentalism is a form of government organized around a central set of beliefs. The beliefs, usually religious in nature, form a rigid guideline for actions and reactions of both the rulers and the people.
In a fundamentalist society, the people and the rulers are entirely devoted to their beliefs, and are usually willing to die to preserve them.
Improvements that normally convert unhappy citizens to content citizens, produce `tithes' (gold) equivalent to the number of people they would convert, and require no maintenance.
Fundamentalism is a good government for maximizing gold, and its Fanatics are useful in wartime, but it has a heavy penalty to technological progress.
Base science production is half that of other governments. (A Fundamentalist city with a Library produces as much science as a city under another government does alone.)
Each city can support up to 2 units for free; further units each cost 2 gold per turn (except for Fanatics).
Each city tolerates up to 2 aggressively deployed military units; each further unit causes 1 unhappy citizen.
Base corruption is 15%. This increases with distance from the capital (half as fast with knowledge of The Corporation).
Base production waste is 15%. This increases with distance from the capital (half as fast with knowledge of Trade).
Requires knowledge of the technology Theology.
Features:
Federalism is a system in which the power to govern is shared between national and provincial governments. This decentralization minimizes the corruption and waste caused by distance to capital, and avoids separatist movements.
Each city gets 2 extra luxury points.
Celebrating cities produce one extra trade point for every tile which is already producing trade. (Cities below size 3 will not celebrate.)
Each city can support up to 2 units for free; further units each cost 2 gold per turn.
Each city tolerates up to 2 aggressively deployed military units; each further unit causes 1 unhappy citizen.
There is no base level of corruption, but an increasing amount with distance from the capital (half as much as with most other governments). Knowledge of The Corporation eliminates this corruption.
Base production waste is 30%, but is not affected by distance to the capital.
Has a senate that may prevent declaration of war.
Requires knowledge of the technology Economics.
Features:
Under a Republican government, citizens hold an election to select a representative who will govern them; since elected leaders must remain popular to remain in control, citizens are given a greater degree of freedom. Citizens under the Republic become unhappy easily, but the self-sufficiency of your citizens allows high levels of trade.
Cities produce an extra trade point for every worked land tile that is already producing trade.
Celebrating cities produce a further trade point for every worked tile (land or water) which is already producing trade. (Cities below size 3 will not celebrate.)
Each city can support one unit for free; further units each cost 1 shield per turn.
Each city tolerates a single aggressively deployed military unit; each further unit causes 1 unhappy citizen.
Base corruption is 25%. This increases with distance from the capital (half as fast with knowledge of The Corporation).
Base production waste is 5%. This increases with distance from the capital (half as fast with knowledge of Trade).
Requires knowledge of the technology The Republic.
Features:
Under Democracy, citizens govern directly by voting on issues. Democracy offers the highest possible level of trade, but also offers the most potential for unhappiness; citizens become very upset during wars.
Cities produce an extra trade point for every worked land tile that is already producing trade.
Celebrating cities produce a further trade point for every worked tile (land or water) which is already producing trade. (Cities below size 3 will not celebrate.)
Each city can support one unit for free; further units each cost 2 gold per turn.
Each city tolerates a single aggressively deployed military unit; each further unit causes 2 unhappy citizens.
Base corruption is 5%. This increases with distance from the capital (half as fast with knowledge of The Corporation).
Base production waste is 25%. This increases with distance from the capital (half as fast with knowledge of Trade).
Has a senate that may prevent declaration of war.
Requires knowledge of the technology Democracy.
Features: