Oligarchy

n an oligarchy, a small group of people has all the power. The ruling group usually is wealthy or has military power. Oligarchy is a Greek word that means “rule by a few.” Sometimes this means that only a certain group has political rights, such as members of one political party, one social class, or one race. For example, in some societies, only noble families (high class) who owned land could participate in politics.

An oligarchy can also mean that a few people control the country. For example, a junta is a small group of people—usually military officers—who rule a country after taking it over by force. A junta often operates much like a dictatorship, except that several people share power. From 1962-2011, Myanmar (also known as Burma) was ruled by a military junta that was condemned by the world for its human rights violations.