Oligarchy

Oligarchy is a form of government. In an oligarchic system, all the power is held by a small group of people. It is usually the most powerful people who govern the state. The kingship alternated between three leading families. Oligarchy can be a form of dictatorship.

 Rule by the best 
An oligarchy where the best rule is called Aristocracy.

 Rule by the rich 
If the richest people rule the country, this is called Plutocracy.

 Other websites 
 Online Text: Leonard Whibley, Greek Oligarchies: Their Character and Organisation  (1896), still the only full-scale treatment of oligarchy in Classical Greece.

Category:Forms of government
Category:Social inequality