9781422277737

much, and the others nothing, there may arise an extreme democracy, or a pure oli- garchy.” In either case, the rich and poor would have complete- ly different goals. By contrast, in societies where the majority of people have moderate wealth, Aristotle believed, citi- zens would be more likely to work together. “[W]here the middle class is large,” he wrote, “there are least likely to be factions and dissensions.” Upper and Lower Classes Extreme differences in class status, education, and income often exist in societies with oligarchy. The ruling upper class holds the privileges that come with political and economic power. They have easy access to the best education, legal pro- tection, and healthcare. And their influence gives them access to resources and information needed to amass even greater wealth and power. In some oligarchic systems, most people in the lower class are extremely poor and uneducated. They have almost no influ- ence in government. And, when the oligarchy is autocratic — meaning it doesn’t tolerate any political opposition—members of the lower class have few options to improve their situation. Under these circumstances, conflict between the “haves” and “have-nots” may lead oppressed people to try to overthrow the government through revolution. Because of the potential for Key Quote

“Democrats say that justice is that to which the majority agree, oligarchs that to which the wealthier class [agree].” —Aristotle

Oligarchy and the Elite

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