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An '''oligarchy''' is a form of [[government]] where rule is by a small elite group. Ancient [[Sparta]], for instance, was run by an oligarchy.
An '''oligarchy''' is a form of [[government]] where rule is by a small [[elitist|elite]] group. These people could be distinguished by [[royalty]], wealth, family ties, education, [[corporate]], or [[military]] control.
Throughout [[history]], oligarchies have been [[tyrant|tyrannical]] (relying on public obedience and/or [[oppression]] to exist) or relatively benign. [[Aristotle]] pioneered the use of the term as a synonym for rule by the rich,<ref>Winters (2011) p.37</ref> for which the exact term is [[plutocracy]].
Oligarchy is not always rule by the wealthy, as oligarchs can simply be a privileged group, and do not have to be connected by bloodlines as in a [[monarchy]].
Forms of government and other [[political]] structures associated with oligarchy can include [[aristocracy]], [[Corporatocracy|Crony capitalism]], [[meritocracy]], [[military junta]], [[plutocracy]], [[technocracy]], and [[theocracy]].
==Examples==
Currently, the central authority of [[Communist China]] is concentrated in the [[Politburo]] Standing Committee composed of 7-members, of the [[Communist Party of China]].
Ancient [[Sparta]], for instance, was run by an oligarchy.
== See Also ==
* [[Aristocracy]]
* Corporatocracy - [[Crony capitalism]]
* [[Dictatorship]]
* [[Kleptocracy]]
* [[Meritocracy]]
* [[Military junta]]
* [[Oligopoly]]
* [[Plutocracy]]
* [[Technocracy]]
* [[Theocracy]]
==References==
{{relist|2}}
* Ostwald, M. ''Oligarchia: The Development of a Constitutional Form in Ancient [[Greece]] (''Historia'' Einzelschirften; 144)''. Stuttgart: Steiner, 2000 (ISBN 3-515-07680-8).
[[Category: Government]]
[[Category: Government]]