Legal Definition and Related Resources of Oligarchy

A form of government in which supreme power is restricted to a few.

(Gr. the government of a few) . A name given to designate the power which a few citizens of a state have usurped, which ought by the constitution to reside in the people. Among the Romans, the government degenerated several times into an oligarchy; for example, under the decemvirs, when they became the only magistrates in the commonwealth.

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Oligarchy in Historical Law

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This definition of Oligarchy is based on the The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary . This entry needs to be proofread.

Vocabularies (Semantic Web Information)

Definition of Oligarchy

The Canada social science dictionary [1] provides the following meaning of Oligarchy: A society or social system ruled by a few people. As societies or organizations become large it is thought that political power becomes concentrated in the hand of a few individuals. In See: IRON LAW OF OLIGARCHY / PLUTOCRACY in this legal dictionary and in the world encyclopedia of law.

Oligarchy: Resources

Notes and References

• Drislane, R., & Parkinson, G. (2016). (Concept of) Oligarchy. Online dictionary of the social sciences. Open University of Canada

Concept of “Oligarchy”

Traditional meaning of oligarchy in the French law history (with some legal use in England and the United States in the XIX Century) [1]: (in French) The government by a few.

Resources

Notes and References

1. Based on A Concise Law Dictionary of Words, Phrases and Maxims, “Oligarchy”, Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1911, United States. It is also called the Stimson’s Law dictionary. This term and/or definition may be absolete.

See Also

Definition of Oligarchy

In relation to social issues, a meaning of oligarchy is provided here: a government controlled by a small group to serve their own purposes.

Hierarchical Display of Oligarchy

Politics > Political framework > Political system
Social Questions > Social framework > Social structure > Social class > Ruling class

Meaning of Oligarchy

Overview and more information about Oligarchy

For a more comprehensive understanding of Oligarchy, see in the general part of the online platform.[rtbs name=”xxx-xxx”]

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Translation of Oligarchy

• Spanish: Oligarquía
• French: Oligarchie
• German: Oligarchie
• Italian: Oligarchia
• Portuguese: Oligarquia
• Polish: Oligarchia

Thesaurus of Oligarchy

Politics > Political framework > Political system > Oligarchy
Social Questions > Social framework > Social structure > Social class > Ruling class > Oligarchy

See also

• Ruling class