text: is it possible for there to be some form of government between communism and democracy?   communism is an economic system, not a system of government.  the opposite of communism (central/shared ownership) is capitalism (individual ownership). but either could theoretically exist in anything from a democracy to a republic to a monarchy.   democracy is straight voter control. all decisions based on individual votes. the us is not a democracy. it is a republic, where we elect people to make laws for us, rather than doing it ourselves.  the opposite of a democracy is a monarchy, where one person has total control. if that person chooses to ignore the laws of the country with impunity, then it becomes a tyranny.  but it's mix-and-match how you combine economic systems, which determine how property is owned, with government systems, which determine how laws are made.