Oligarchy: Difference between revisions

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==Examples of oligarchy==
==Examples of oligarchy==


Historically, many [[city-state]]s of ancient [[Greece]] were oligarchies. The most prominent one was [[Sparta]], which was rule by the military elite. Other examples include the [[Etruscans]] who ruled [[Italy]] in pre-Roman era, the Roman Republic, and the Italian cities during the [[Middle Ages]].<ref> [http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/government/oligarchy.htm Oligarchy] History for kids</ref>
Historically, many [[city-state]]s of ancient [[Greece]] were oligarchies. The most prominent one was [[Sparta]], which was rule by the military elite. Other examples include the [[Etruscans]] who ruled [[Italy]] in pre-Roman era, the Roman Republic, and the Italian city-states, including Venice and Genoa, during the [[Middle Ages]].<ref> [http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/government/oligarchy.htm Oligarchy] History for kids</ref>


==Modern usage==
==Modern usage==

Revision as of 15:51, 25 September 2007

Oligarchy is a form of government in which the political power is centralized within a small group or faction of a few persons, called oligarchs. The ruling faction is usually a wealthy and privileged group. When the oligarchs are nobles, it is called an aristocracy; when they are men of wealth, it is called a plutocracy.

Examples of oligarchy

Historically, many city-states of ancient Greece were oligarchies. The most prominent one was Sparta, which was rule by the military elite. Other examples include the Etruscans who ruled Italy in pre-Roman era, the Roman Republic, and the Italian city-states, including Venice and Genoa, during the Middle Ages.[1]

Modern usage

The United States has sometimes been accused of being oligarchical that the political power is essentially manipulated by the wealthy and big businesses.[2] The PRC regime in China is sometimes referred as an oligarchy that a small cadre of Communist party leaders dictatorially rule the country.[3] The Soviet Union's ruling class, the "nomenklatura", was in nature oligarchical. Multinational corporations have also been accused as constituting a global oligarchy.[4]

Iron law of oligarchy

The German sociologist Robert Michels formulated the famous "Iron law of oligarchy", that all political and organizational institutions, no matter what structure they are established as, will eventually devolve into oligarchies.[5]

References