Aristocracy is a form of government. The Ancient Greeks saw it as the rule of the best. That is to say that those rule, which are best suited. In some way, the best are selected, and can then rule. The problem is just that people tend to have different opinions on who those are.

Aristocracies have most often been hereditary plutocracies. That way those who governed passed their ability to govern. to their children.

As a government term, aristocracy can be contrasted with:

• autocracy - "rule by a single individual".
• meritocracy - "rule by those who most deserve to rule". While this has on the surface a nearly similar meaning to "aristocracy", the term "meritocracy" has usually implied a much more fluid form of government in which one is not considered "best" for life, but must continually prove one's "merit" in order to stay in power.
• plutocracy - "rule by the wealthy". In actual practice, aristocrats are often just plutocrats whose wealth allows them to show their own virtues as the "best" ones.
• oligarchy - "rule by the few". Whether an aristocracy is also an oligarchy depends entirely upon one's idea of what are a "few".
• monarchy - "rule by a single individual". Historically, the vast majority of monarchs have been aristocrats themselves. However, they have also been very often at odds with the rest of the aristocracy, since it was composed of their rivals. The struggle between a ruling dynastic family and the other aristocratic families in the same country has been a central theme of medieval history.
• democracy - "rule by the people". For the past two centuries, democracy has often presented itself as the greatest enemy of aristocracy. The linguistic conflict between them began with the American Revolution ideal of all men being "created equal", quickly followed by the French Revolution (the first in Europe), and continued throughout the 19th century, occasionally flaring up in violent episodes such as the revolutions of 1848. Some peopel think that the end of the First World War in 1918 marked the victory of "democracy" over "aristocracy" as a preferred term for government.

Politics | Forms of government

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