The Difference between Democratic Government and Oligarchy Government Essay Example

Ancient Greeks than the democratic government in Athens.

The government in Athens worried more about the citizens of its city-state then its own well-being. The Spartan oligarchy may not have given its citizens a lot of freedom but it was successful in gaining attention and respect from the other Greeks and their rival nations. Both governments have been in existence from ages and today, there are some countries with oligarchy governments, but democracy is the most common form of government. Historical examples of oligarchies are Sparta, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the English parliamentary system and execution of Charles I in 1649.

A modern example of Oligarchy could be seen in South Africa during the 20th century. Russia has been labeled an oligarchy because, after the fall of Communism, political power became concentrated in the hands of certain individuals who amassed great wealth by taking advantage of the new system. The social system of capitalism is sometimes described as an oligarchy. Communist states are also perceived as oligarchies, ruled by a class with special privileges, the nomenklatura. Democracy has been called the "last form of government" and has spread considerably across the globe.

There are more than 100 Democratic Governments in the world, but only 30 are fully democratic. The difference between both governments is really high enough and consists in their vital characteristics. Oligarchy is generally government run by few elite families, in such a government structure, the children in the elite family inherit power and topmost administrative position from senior rulers upon attainment of maturity, when a democracy is a system of government where leaders are chosen by election.

When it comes

to comparison between Oligarchy and Democracy, in terms of the power that people have, there is no doubt about the fact that democracy offers much wide avenues of freedom, liberty, equality and opportunities to the citizens. In a democracy, if people are unhappy, they can raise their voices through various platforms such as the media. However, in Oligarchy government, common people might not be granted fundamental rights which are essential for any person to live a good life. If you compare Oligarchy vs Democracy on how stable a government these can provide, then certainly dictatorship wins hands down.

Oligarchy government often resort to violent methods to curb any kind of public uprisings to protect its power and ruling status in the country. Robert Michels believed that any political system eventually evolves into an oligarchy. He called this the iron law of oligarchy. According to this school of thought, modern democracies should be considered as oligarchies. Unfortunately, Oligarchy Governments really hide under the name of democratic. As an example, a number of former Soviet states, including Ukraine. Officially, we live in a democratic state, but we all know who is at the helm of state power.

Ukraine is called a democratic state, which governed by a few oligarchic clans. Every form of government is bound to have some shortfalls. Different people have different views about the various political systems. But in today's world, democracy is considered to be the best form of government, reason being that people are treated equally and have full rights to live a life of their liking. Unlike a Oligarchy government is not considered to be a people-friendly government by

most sociologists and people following politics closely.