a political system that is controlled by a small group of individuals, who govern in their own interests.
a state or country ruled by a very few people
Government by a few, especially by a small faction of persons or families. Rule by the minority without the consent of the governed (50% -1 person constitutes a minority).
Government by the few. Compare "plutocracy", government by the rich, or democracy, government by all the people.
Generally understood as government by the few, especially for corrupt and selfish purposes. According to Plato, it meant government by the rich and money loving. To Aristotle, it meant rule by the rich and noble.
From the Greek for 'rule of the few', this is a form of government in which power is centralised in the hands of an organised élite and is used for their social and/or economic benefit. Their power is maintained by force or by the shaping of the law to restrict the people and/or remove any need to consult them or be accountable to them. Many of the monarchies established in Europe during the Middle Ages began as oligarchies, with one family eventually gaining ascendancy over others.
a political system governed by a few people
a country ruled by the few
a form of government in which a few individuals rule
a government where the elite get their way
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a term referring to a select group of people ruling a society usually by physical opression
A form of government in which a small, usually self-appointed elite holds the power to rule
a system of government in which political power is exercised by a small group of people, usually self-selected
rule by a few. In the case of the Territory of Hawai`i, a few very wealth haole land-owners controlled the economics and politics of the Islands for over half a century. Historians and social scientists often refer to the territorial government of Hawai`i, ostensibly democratic, as an oligarchy.
Literally, rule by the few: a political system in which a small number of actors dominate the resource allocation process, usually serving their own interest.
Government by a few, usually absolute, rulers who are co-equal
Oligarchy (Greek , OligarkhÃa) 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). The word oligarchy is from the Greek words for "few" ( óligon) and "rule" ( arkho).