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Revision as of 12:40, 29 December 2001 by WojPob (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)When power is effectively vested in a segment of the governed society (typically the richest segment), the result is a government of the few against the many. Such a structure is called an oligarchy. Often, these oligarchies are organized into powerful families, where the children are raised and groomed simply to propagate and advance the power of the oligarchy, usually at the expense of the governed. Oligarchies often arise as a natural course of maturing of a republic, and often devolve into authoritarian governments, as one family gains supremacy over all of the others.
see also: dictatorship, monarchy, democracy, crony capitalism