1. (n.) The power or right of self-government; political independence of a city or a state\.

2. (n.) The sovereignty of reason in the sphere of morals; or man's power, as possessed of reason, to give law to himself. In this, according to Kant, consist the true nature and only possible proof of liberty.

Declaration of Independence absolute monarchy aristocracy autarchy autarky autocracy autonomousness coalition government colonialism commonwealth constitutional government constitutional monarchy democracy dictatorship dominion rule duarchy duumvirate dyarchy federal government federation feudal system free will garrison state gerontocracy gratuitousness heteronomy hierarchy hierocracy home rule independence individualism inner-direction limited monarchy martial law meritocracy militarism military government mob rule mobocracy monarchy neocolonialism ochlocracy oligarchy pantisocracy patriarchate patriarchy police state pure democracy regency representative democracy representative government republic rugged individualism self-action self-activity self-containment self-determination self-direction self-government self-reliance self-sufficiency social democracy spontaneity spontaneousness stratocracy technocracy thearchy theocracy totalitarian government totalitarian regime triarchy triumvirate tyranny unforcedness voluntariness voluntarism voluntaryism volunteer volunteering welfare state