a political system governed by the wealthy people
a government or state where in the wealthy rule
a government system where wealth is the principal basis of power (from the Greek ploutos meaning wealth)
a political system where power is concentrated in the hands of a small number of wealthy people, usually those with inherited wealth and wealthy families (plutocracies are often also aristocracies)
A system of government whereby wealth and the benefits that wealth accrues lead to a concentration of power in the hands of those with disproportionate access to financial resources.
a state or system of government in which the wealthy rule
The wealthy elite who dominate American politics by virtue of public officials' dependence on their campaign contributions, or by virtue of their ability to use their money to win major public office themselves. As campaigns become more expensive, more millionaires are becoming candidates and getting elected. In 1992, 71 of 435 U.S. Representatives (16 percent) and 26 of 100 U.S. Senators (26 percent) were millionaires. Fewer than one-half of 1 percent of the U.S. population are millionaires.
A plutocracy is a form of government where the state's power is centralized in an affluent social class. The degree of economic inequality is high while the level of social mobility is low. This can apply to a multitude of government systems, as the key elements of plutocracy transcend and often occur concurrently with the features of those systems.
