Oligarchy began to interest the ancientthinkers. The first authors who described this phenomenon in their treatises are Plato and Aristotle. So what is the oligarchy in the understanding of ancient Greek philosophers?
One of the brightest ancient Greek authorsstands Plato. It is his works that form the basis for the study of most political science disciplines. Such treatises as “The State”, “Apology of Socrates”, “Politia”, etc. are subjected to a comprehensive analysis. It is in them that he discusses the problems of his time, in particular, touches upon the question of the best form of government. In other words, he gives answers to questions about what is oligarchy, democracy, polity, tyranny, timocracy, etc.
The clear meaning of the word "oligarchy" Plato is notleads, as it considers this form of government in comparison with others, highlighting its characteristic features. However, by this term he means the structure of the state, which is based on the property qualification. In other words, only financially secure people are at the helm, while the poor do not even have the right to vote.
According to the reasoning of the thinker, oligarchyrefers to a single galaxy of perverted forms of government. This social system gradually re-emerges from timocracy, embodying the worst vices in life. Virtue ceases to play a significant role in politics, as wealth takes its place. The oligarchic system rests only on the armed forces, and not on respect and reverence for the sovereign. Most of the population is below the poverty line, and the ruling elite is not even trying to take steps to overcome this trend. Oligarchy also implies a redistribution, and an unfair social benefits that exist in society.
Thus, according to the teachings of Plato,fair state and oligarchy are incompatible with each other. But to avoid the rebirth of timocracy in this form of socio-economic structure of society is impossible.
Aristotle was a student of Plato, thereforeIn many ways, he continued to study his teacher. In particular, in his scientific works he began to consider the question of what is oligarchy. The philosopher believed that this form of government, as well as democracy and tyranny, are perverse forms of social and political system.
In the treatise "Politics" Aristotle invested inthe meaning of the word "oligarchy" is the whole essence of the politics of that time, in other words, he said that this form implies the power of the rich. It is in the oligarchic state that special attention will be paid to the blessings of those in power, representatives of the well-to-do class. The philosopher considered this system imperfect, since he argued that there was a possibility of “buying” a place under the sun, therefore such a device of society was not stable.
Что такое олигархия?Much attention was paid to this issue at various times, including in the 20th century. In particular, an enormous contribution to the study of this phenomenon was made by R. Michels, who at the beginning of the 20th century declared his concept, which was later called the “iron law of oligarchy”. The philosopher believed that any social and social structure of society ultimately degenerates into an oligarchy, regardless of whether the basis was laid in them - democratic or autocratic.
The main reason for this trend is the desirepublic leader to take the head of government and put its own interests to the fore, including financial ones. In this case, the crowd impeccably trusts its sovereign, blindly obeying all his orders, acting in the form of laws.
To date, political scientists studying this phenomenon, there are four different types of oligarchies, each of which has its own unique characteristics and features:
Некоторые исследователи, помимо 4 указанных выше types of oligarchy, and distinguish the fifth type - the boyars. This form of the device was characteristic of Novgorod and Pskov in the period from the XII to the XV century. At this time, with the slightest weakening of power in the hands of a monarchist ruler, the oligarchic group in the form of the most influential boyars tried to drag sovereignty over.
In other words, they wanted to redo the basis of the state, giving it the main features of the oligarchy.
Today, the oligarchy has become one ofkey topics for discussion on the territory of the states of the former USSR. If we analyze the situation of the last 15-20 years, we can conclude that the dictatorship of the oligarchs is gaining momentum, in particular, in the territory of the Russian Federation.
The government builds its policy soway to close the question of the prevalence of oligarchs in government. But despite all the attempts, it is still impossible to find a solution to this problem. Therefore, the prospects of the oligarchy in Russia, and in the whole modern world, are rather sad, since this may cause destabilization of the political situation in the states that have taken the democratic path of development.
