oligarchy

government by the few: The citizens have no voice in an oligarchy.
Not to be confused with:anarchy – the absence of laws or government: The fall of the empire was followed by chaos and anarchy.aristocracy – rule by elite or privileged upper class: The governing body was composed of the country’s most powerful aristocracy.democracy – government by the people: The United States is a democracy. plutocracy – government in which the wealthy class rules: In a plutocracy, there is little regard for the poor.

ol·i·gar·chy

O0064900 (ŏl′ĭ-gär′kē, ō′lĭ-)n. pl. ol·i·gar·chies 1. a. Government by a few, especially by a small faction of persons or families.b. Those making up such a government.2. A state governed by a few persons.

ol′i·gar′chic, ol′i·gar′chi·cal adj.

oligarchy

(ˈɒlɪˌɡɑːkɪ) n, pl -chies1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) government by a small group of people2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a state or organization so governed3. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a small body of individuals ruling such a state4. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) chiefly US a small clique of private citizens who exert a strong influence on government[C16: via Medieval Latin from Greek oligarkhia, from olígos few + -archy] ˌoliˈgarchic, ˌoliˈgarchical, ˌoliˈgarchal adj ˌoliˈgarchically adv

ol•i•gar•chy

(ˈɒl ɪˌgɑr ki)

n., pl. -chies. 1. a form of government in which power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique. 2. a state or organization so ruled. 3. the persons or class so ruling. [1570–80; < Medieval Latin oligarchia < Greek oligarchía. See olig-, -archy] ol`i•gar′chic, ol`i•gar′chi•cal, adj.

oligarchy

1. a system of rule by a few persons.
2. the people who form such a government. — oligarch, n. — oligarchie, oligarchical, adj.See also: Government

oligarchy

1. Government by a small faction or group of families, from Greek words meaning “a few” and “chief” or “principal.”2. A form of government in which power is held by a small group of people.

Thesaurus

Noun

oligarchy - a political system governed by a few people; "one of his cardinal convictions was that Britain was not run as a democracy but as an oligarchy"; "the big cities were notoriously in the hands of the oligarchy of local businessmen"form of government, political system - the members of a social organization who are in power

Translations

Oligarchieολιγαρχίαoligarchieoligarchiaолигархия

oligarchy

(ŏl`əgärkē) [Gr.,=rule by the few], rule by a few members of a community or group. When referring to governments, the classical definition of oligarchy, as given for example by Aristotle, is of government by a few, usually the rich, for their own advantage. It is compared with both aristocracyaristocracy
[Gr.,=rule by the best], in political science, government by a social elite. In the West the political concept of aristocracy derives from Plato's formulation in the Republic. The criteria on which aristocracy is based may vary greatly from society to society.
..... Click the link for more information. , which is defined as government by a few chosen for their virtue and ruling for the general good, and various forms of democracydemocracy
[Gr.,=rule of the people], term originating in ancient Greece to designate a government where the people share in directing the activities of the state, as distinct from governments controlled by a single class, select group, or autocrat.
..... Click the link for more information. , or rule by the people. In practice, however, almost all governments, whatever their form, are run by a small minority of members. From this perspective, the major distinction between oligarchy and democracy is that in the latter, the elites compete with each other, gaining power by winning public support. The extent and type of barriers impeding those who attempt to join this ruling group is also significant.

oligarchy

see IRON LAW OF OLIGARCHY.

Oligarchy

a form of government in which state power belongs to a small group of people, as a rule, the most powerful economically (hence the term “financial oligarchy”). The ruling group itself is also called an oligarchy.

The term “oligarchy” first appeared in the works of a number of ancient Greek authors, including Aristotle’s Politics (book IV) and The Constitution of Athens and Polybius’ The Histories (book VI). In these works it designated a form of state structure that arises as a result of the degeneration of the aristocracy.

oligarchy

1. government by a small group of people 2. a state or organization so governed 3. a small body of individuals ruling such a state 4. Chiefly US a small clique of private citizens who exert a strong influence on government

Oligarchy

Related to Oligarchy: autocracy

OLIGARCHY. This name is given to designate the power which a few citizens of a state have usurped, which ought by the constitution to reside in the people. Among the Romans the government degenerated several times into an oligarchy; for example, under the decemvirs, when they became the only magistrates in the commonwealth.

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Words related to oligarchy

noun a political system governed by a few people

Related Words