Here, the basic characteristics of oligarchy are particularly easy to observe, since the South African form of oligarchy was based on race. A modern example of oligarchy could be seen in South Africa during the 20th century. Many of the European monarchies established during the late Middle Ages began in this way.Įxamples of a historical oligarchies are Sparta and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Oligarchies may also evolve into more autocratic or monarchist forms of government, sometimes as the result of one family gaining ascendancy over the others. As English society continued to grow and develop, the Magna Carta was repeatedly revised ( 1216, 1217, and 1225), guaranteeing greater rights to greater numbers of people, thus setting the stage for English constitutional monarchy. One example of power-sharing from one person to a larger group of persons occurred when English nobles banded together in 1215 to force a reluctant King John of England to sign the Magna Carta, a tacit recognition both of King John's waning political power and of the existence of an incipient oligarchy (the noblility). Oligarchies can often become instruments of transformation, by insisting that monarchs or dictators share power, thereby opening the door to power-sharing by other elements of society (while oligarchy means 'the rule of the few,' monarchy means 'the rule of the one').

Although Aristotle pioneered the use of the term as a synonym for rule by the rich, for which the exact term is plutocracy, oligarchy is not always a rule by wealth, as oligarchs can simply be a privileged group.Įarly societies may become oligarchies as an outgrowth of an alliance between rival tribal chieftains or as the result of a caste system.

However, this power may also not be exercised openly, the oligarchs preferring to remain 'the power behind the throne', exerting control through economic means. Such states were often controlled by powerful families whose children were raised and mentored to be heirs of the power of the oligarchy.

Historically, many oligarchies openly gave the political power to a minority group, sometimes arguing that this was an aristocracy ('organization by the 'best' and the 'brightest''). The word oligarchy is from the Greek words for 'few' ( ὀλίγον ófligon) and 'rule' ( ἄρχω arcgekho). Oligarchy ( Greek Ὀλιγαρχία, Oligarkhía) is a form of government where political power effectively rests with a small, elite segment of society (whether distinguished by wealth, family or military prowess). Related subjects: Politics and government

Plutocracy or oligarchy