The Spartan Oligarchy By Alyssa Raulerson

Oligarchy by Alyssa Raulerson

An oligarchy is a form of government where a small group of people rule. Oligarchy originates from Medieval Latin and Greek. Some examples of oligarchies include Sparta and modern-day Africa in the twentieth century. It is easy to see since the South African form of oligarchy was based on race. There are many forms of oligarchy, used all around the world.
In the Spartan Oligarchy, twenty-eight men joined by two kings all over the age of 60 ruled. These groups of rulers were called the Council of Elders.
There are many forms of oligarchies. These include Aristocracy, Plutocracy, De Jure Oligarchies, De Facto Oligarchies, Corporate Oligarchies, and Democratic Oligarchies.
The definition for an Aristocracy is a form of oligarchy where the best rule.
But, some questions aroused when I saw this definition. Such as, who chooses “the best”? And, how do they judge who is “the best”? How much money they have? How about the power that they hold over others? In the Soviet Union, only members of the Communist Party were allowed to vote or hold office.
The definition for Plutocracy is a form of government where the richest rule. But, when I saw this definition, I thought that some good could come from this form of government. For instance, a group of wealthy citizens could help the group that they are controlling by helping with finances. But, what if this group has no intentions of helping the group that they are ruling. What if they have intentions of destroying it? What if they plan to destroy it from the ground up with their
money?
De Jure Oligarchies- an elite group is given power by the law. Only the law can give people the right to vote in this form of government.
De Facto Oligarchies- only those with more resources are able to gain office, or political power, despite laws that state that all citizens should be treated equally.
Corporate Oligarchies (also known as corporatocracy) is a system where power is held within a group of educational institutions.
Finally, Democratic Oligarchies are governments where there is democracy for some. Some modern uses of this form of oligarchy are the European Parliament and North Korean government. It is considered effective because it is democratic, which pleases Human Rights campaigners and there is so little conflict because very few can vote.
The first usage of this governmental system was in Ancient Greece, which is claimed by historians to be the first true democracy. Of course, Ancient Greece has free speech and votes for everyone except women, slaves, immigrants, minors, Romans, gays, communists and traitors of society (government opposers).
Oligarchies weren’t as popular as monarchies in the ancient world, but right after the Dark Ages, most of the cities in Greece were oligarchies, which was around about 1000 B.C and 500 B.C. Etruscans were also an oligarchy. The Roman Republic also had some oligarchic tendencies.
Following are some countries that use an oligarchy government:
• Cuba
• Venezuela
• North Korea Some could say that an oligarchy could be good for a country. Less conflict would arise if only a small group ruled. A group that does good can be great!

This photo represents the people that are not for an oligarchy. They believe that the people’s voice should be heard instead of just a group deciding everything. They also think that the citizens should have a say in what happens in their country.

So, I guess I couldn’t find an image of something along the lines of, “We want an oligarchy” because nobody wants one. But, would you like someone making decisions for you that you should be making?