Aristocracy

This article is about the form of government. For the social class, see Aristocracy (class).

Part of the Politics series
Basic forms of government
Power structure
Separation Associated state Dominion Chiefdom Federalism Federation Confederation Devolution Integration Empire Hegemony Unitary state Administrative division
Power source
Democracy power of many Direct Representative Liberal Social Demarchy Others Oligarchy power of few Anocracy Aristocracy Plutocracy Kleptocracy Kakistocracy Kraterocracy Stratocracy Synarchy Timocracy Meritocracy Technocracy Geniocracy Noocracy Kritarchy Particracy Ergatocracy Netocracy Capitalist state Socialist state Autocracy power of one Despotism Dictatorship Military dictatorship Others Anarchy Theocracy
Power ideology
Monarchy vs. republic socio-political ideologies Absolute Legalist Constitutional Parliamentary Directorial Semi-presidential Presidential Authoritarian vs. libertarian socio-economic ideologies Tribalism Despotism Feudalism Colonialism Distributism Anarchism Socialism Communism Totalitarianism Global vs. local geo-cultural ideologies Commune City-state National government Intergovernmental organisation World government
Politics portal
v t e

Aristocracy (Greek ἀριστοκρατία aristokratía, from ἄριστος aristos "excellent", and κράτος, kratos 'rule') is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class.^[1] The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best-born".^[2]

The term is synonymous with hereditary government, and hereditary succession is its primary philosophy, after which the hereditary monarch appoints officers as they see fit. At the time of the word's origins in ancient Greece, the Greeks conceived it as rule by the best qualified citizens—and often contrasted it favourably with monarchy, rule by an individual. In later times, aristocracy was usually seen as rule by a privileged group, the aristocratic class, and has since been contrasted with democracy.^[1] The idea of hybrid forms which have aspects of both aristocracy and democracy are in use in the parliament form.

Contents

• 
  1 Concept
  


• 
  2 See also
  


• 
  3 References
  


• 
  4 Further reading
  

Concept

The concept evolved in Ancient Greece, whereby a council of leading citizens was commonly empowered and contrasted with representative democracy, in which a council of citizens was appointed as the "senate" of a city state or other political unit. The Greeks did not like the concept of monarchy, and as their democratic system fell, aristocracy was upheld.^[1]
In the 1651 book Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes describes an aristocracy as a commonwealth in which the representative of the citizens is an assembly by part only. It is a system in which only a small part of the population represents the government; "certaine men distinguished from the rest".^[3] Modern depictions of aristocracy tend to regard it not as the ancient Greek concept of rule by the best, but more as an oligarchy or plutocracy—rule by the few or the wealthy.^{[citation needed]}

The concept of aristocracy per Plato, has an ideal state ruled by the philosopher king. Plato describes these "philosopher kings" as "those who love the sight of truth" (Republic 475c) and supports the idea with the analogy of a captain and his ship or a doctor and his medicine. According to him, sailing and health are not things that everyone is qualified to practice by nature. A large part of the Republic then addresses how the educational system should be set up to produce these philosopher kings.

See also

• Caliphate


• Elitism


• Gentry


• Nobility


• Old money


• Timocracy


• Tyranny

References

1. 
   ^ ^abc "Aristocracy". Oxford English Dictionary. December 1989. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2009..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
   


2. 
   ^ A Greek–English Lexicon, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, Henry Stuart Jones, Roderick McKenzie (editors). "ἀριστο-κρᾰτία, ἡ,
   A, rule of the best-born, aristocracy, ἀ. σώφρων Th.3.82, cf. Henioch.5.17, Isyll.1, etc.; rule of the rich, Pl.Plt.301a. II ideal constitution, rule of the best, Arist. Pol.1293b1 sqq., EN1160a33, Pl.Mx.238c, 238d, Plb.6.4.3." http://logeion.uchicago.edu/%E1%BC%80%CF%81%CE%B9%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BA%CF%81%CE%B1%CF%84%CE%AF%CE%B1
   


3. 
   ^ Thomas Hobbes (1 January 2010). Leviathan. Digireads.com Publishing. p. 81. ISBN 978-1-4209-3699-5.
   

Further reading

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Aristocracy

• 
  History, John Cannon (Editor), Oxford University Press, 1997,
  ISBN 978-0-19-866176-4
  


• 
  Aristocracy in the Modern World, Ellis Wasson, Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.

v t e Nobility of Europe
Present monarchies	Belgium Denmark Netherlands Norway Spain Sweden United Kingdom Holy See Black nobility
Former monarchies	Albania Austria Bohemia Bulgaria Croatia Estonia and Latvia Finland France Kingdom Empire Germany Hungary Iceland Italy Ireland Lithuania Montenegro Poland Portugal Romania Russia Ruthenia Galicia Serbia

v t e Social class
Status Stratification
Theories Gilbert model Marxian Mudsill theory New class Spoon class theory Weberian (three-component) Related​ topics Caste Chattering classes Class conflict Class discrimination Classicide Classless society Euthenics Nouveau riche / Parvenu Poverty Ranked society Snobbery Social cleansing Social exclusion Social mobility Social orphan Social position Social stigma Subaltern
By demographic By status Administrative detainee Alien illegal immigrant refugee Citizen dual or multiple native-born naturalized second-class Convicted Migrant worker Political prisoner Stateless By "collar" Blue Gold Green Grey New Pink White By type Ruling Aristocracy Hanseaten Patrician Royal family Intellectual Clergy Knowledge worker Professor Warrior Harii Kshatriya Yadav Nair Chhetri Cossacks Hashashin Knight Vanniyar Samurai Cuāuh Ocēlōtl Spartiate Upper Bourgeoisie Business magnate Elite Gentry Lord Nobility Old money Overclass Robber baron Russian oligarch Seigneur Superclass Creative Bohemians Middle Lower middle class Upper middle class Bourgeoisie Petite bourgeoisie Working Working poor Proletariat Lumpenproletariat Under Commoner Outcast Outlaw / Prisoner Peasant / Serf Plebeian Slave Untouchable
By country or region United States Affluence American Dream Conflict History Mobility Classes Upper Black Donor Gentry Middle Black Mexican-American Upper Middle Lower Under Income Household Inequality Personal Poverty Standard of living Education Homelessness Home-ownership Wealth Other regions​ or countries Africa Cambodia China Colombia Ecuador France Haiti India Iran Italy Nepal New Zealand Romania Sri Lanka Tibet United Kingdom Historic Ancient Greece Ancient Rome Aztec Ottoman Empire Soviet Union Pre-industrial East Asia Pre-industrial Europe
Category

Authority control	GND: 4130286-2 LCCN: sh90004739

• Conservatism portal

This page is only for reference, If you need detailed information, please check here