How are city-states governed?

Answer 1

It depends on the government you are talking about. Some may run on the words of a single man, such as a Dictatorship. Some may run with two houses and the input of the people ?ælike the United States.

Answer 2

A city-state consists of a city and it surrounding land, so it grows food outside and operates like a city inside. Except it's its own nation, although it is administered as part of a local government, absolute independence is a independent city

Answer 3

Since city-states were independent, different city-states could have different political arrangements. Aristotle distinguished several types of such arrangements which he called constitutions:

Monarchy, rule by a king.

Aristocracy (rule by the best/excellent), where a few elite citizens ruled. This government was ruled by members of an aristocracy who considered themselves as the best qualified citizens to govern. It was different from monarchy because the city was governed by a council of men who were considered as qualifying to govern. Being qualified to rule was the key to the concept of aristocracy.

Oligarchy (rule by a few), where power rested with a small number of people. These states were controlled by a few families which passed it down through the generations. Their power may rest of wealth, family alliances, education or military control. With this word Aristotle meant rule by the rich, though the exact term for this is plutocracy. Rule by the few could be derived from other forms of privilege, rather than just wealth. An oligarchic regime could include a wider number of men than aristocracy.

Democracy (rule by the people). all citizens were in charge. Greek democracy was direct, rather than indirect, This means that people voted on laws themselves in the assembly of the people, instead of electing representatives, such as MPs or congressmen, to vote in bodies such as congress, parliament or the modern senate.

Mixed constitution/government was a form of government that was seen as integrating elements of monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy. Some issues were voted on by an assembly of the people, some issues by few, such as the senators in Rome, and some issues by a single person. Polybius thought that with this regime the elements of the system checked each other's powers and balanced each other's weaknesses. He also thought that this was what gave Rome her strength.