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Oligarchy

List of forms of government

• Anarchism
• Aristocracy
• Authoritarianism
• Autocracy
• Band society
• Chiefdom
• Colony
• Communist state
• Corporatocracy
• Democracy

Direct democracy Representative democracy

• Despotism
• Dictatorship

Military dictatorship

• Feudalism
• Kleptocracy
• Kritarchy
• Krytocracy
• Meritocracy
• Monarchy

Absolute monarchy Constitutional monarchy Empire

• Ochlocracy
• Oligarchy
• Plutocracy
• Puppet state
• Republic

Mixed government Constitutional republic Parliamentary republic Socialist republic Capitalist republic

• Single-party state
• Technocracy
• Theocracy
• Theodemocracy
• Timocracy
• Totalitarianism
• Tribe

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Oligarchy (Greek Ὀλιγαρχία, Oligarkhía) is a form of government where political power effectively rests with a small elite segment of society (whether distinguished by wealth, family or military powers). The word oligarchy is from the Greek words for "few" (ὀλίγον olígon) and "rule" (ἄρχω arkho). Compare with autocracy (rule by one person) and democracy (rule by the majority).

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