Forms of government

Distribution of Power

• open v. closed societies

Forms of Government

• oligarchy
  • rule by elites
• oligarchy v. aristocracy
  • students can become confused by the distinction between the two
    • oli = "many" but only in the sense of more than rule by pure Aristocratic birth
    • oli refers to spread of power to non-landed, non-hereditary elites
  • aristocracy:
    • is most easily understood as a social class as opposed to a form of government
    • as a form of government is a type of oligarchy
    • will rule to protect landed interests and family lineages
  • in other oligarchies, the elites will rule to protect commercial or other interests