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24-760: The British Government established two oligarchic governments, or councils, to rule what is today Quebec and Ontario, then called Lower and Upper Canada . Upper Canada was ruled by the Family Compact and Lower Canada by the Chateau Clique . Both groups exerted monopolistic , uncontested rule over economic and political life. The councils were corrupt in their nature by strengthening their dominance by personal use of funds which eventually led to infrastructural problems around Upper and Lower Canada, including land distribution, poor road conditions, and lack of education funding. Continuous frustration between

48-640: A comment published in Le Canadien . In 1811, James Stuart became leader of the Parti canadien in the assembly and, in 1815, reformer Louis-Joseph Papineau was elected Assembly Speaker. Papineau's reformist ideas gained in authority and popularity as he led the party in its fight against the union of the Canada's proposal in 1822, until the suspension of the Constitutional Act in 1837. In 1826,

72-399: A small number of people. These people may or may not be distinguished by one or several characteristics, such as nobility , fame , wealth , education , or corporate , religious , political , or military control. Throughout history, power structures considered to be oligarchies have often been viewed as coercive, relying on public obedience or oppression to exist. Aristotle pioneered

96-649: The Ayalas and Manny Pangilinan , corporate figures allied with Duterte, including Dennis Uy of Udenna Corporation , benefitted during his administration. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the subsequent privatization of state-owned assets, a class of Russian oligarchs emerged. These oligarchs gained control of significant portions of the economy, especially in the energy, metals, and natural resources sectors. Many of these individuals maintained close ties with government officials, particularly

120-542: The Russel Resolutions , while rejecting all proposed ninety-two resolutions made by Papineau and his party. These resolutions allowed the colony governor to obtain budgetary estimates without vote of the assembly, which brought about verbal and physical violence, and eventually led to the Rebellions of 1837 . After the rebellions, many patriotes were exiled, hanged, or had their houses set ablaze, which marked

144-575: The president , leading some to characterize modern Russia as an oligarchy intertwined with the state. The Islamic Republic of Iran , established after the 1979 Iranian Revolution , is sometimes described as a clerical oligarchy. Its ruling system, known as Velayat-e-Faqih (Governance of the Jurist), places power in the hands of a small group of high-ranking Shia clerics, led by the Supreme Leader . This group holds significant influence over

168-716: The 2010 Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court decision, which removed limits on donations to political campaigns. In 2014, a study by political scientists Martin Gilens of Princeton University and Benjamin Page of Northwestern University argued that the United States' political system does not primarily reflect the preferences of its average citizens. Their analysis of policy outcomes between 1981 and 2002 suggested that wealthy individuals and business groups held substantial influence over political decisions, often sidelining

192-657: The English of Upper Canada. Under the leadership of Pierre-Stanislas Bédard , the party campaigned for ministerial responsibility and a responsible government in which the members of the Legislative Council of Lower Canada would be appointed by the Legislative Assembly's majority party. Although the party controlled the assembly in Lower Canada, at that time the council, which held most of

216-580: The French Civil Code was in action, and thus infuriating the French people of Lower Canada even more. In July 1830, word of a liberal revolution in France sparked the youth of Lower Canada as liberalism was non-existent in Canada at the time. Upper and Lower Canada governments tried and failed to resolve the recent uprising and tension, even further-distancing the French people of Lower Canada from

240-659: The United States as oligarchies. During the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos from 1965 to 1986, several monopolies arose in the Philippines, primarily linked to the Marcos family and their close associates. Analysts have described this period, and even subsequent decades, as an era of oligarchy in the Philippines. President Rodrigo Duterte , elected in 2016, promised to dismantle the oligarchy during his presidency. However, corporate oligarchy persisted throughout his tenure. While Duterte criticized prominent tycoons such as

264-468: The councils and the legislative assemblies over language differences and Lower Canada's discontent for treatment of French problems led to the beginning of the Parti Canadien. English merchants and politicians in Canada pushed for an assemblage of the Canada's, which would lead to the assimilation of the French. Louis-Joseph Papineau rallied the people of Lower Canada to sign a petition against

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288-411: The country's legislative, military, and economic affairs, and critics argue that this system concentrates power in a religious elite, marginalizing other voices within society. Since Ukraine's independence in 1991, a powerful class of business elites, known as Ukrainian oligarchs , has played a significant role in the country's politics and economy. These oligarchs gained control of state assets during

312-444: The end of the party. However many party members became active members in politics of the new Province of Canada . Oligarchy List of forms of government Oligarchy (from Ancient Greek ὀλιγαρχία ( oligarkhía )  'rule by few'; from ὀλίγος ( olígos )  'few' and ἄρχω ( árkhō )  'to rule, command') is a form of power structure in which power rests with

336-400: The following criteria: George Bernard Shaw coined the concept of an intellectual oligarchy in his play Major Barbara (1907). In the play, Shaw criticizes the control of society by intellectual elites and expresses a desire for the empowerment of the common people: I now want to give the common man weapons against the intellectual man. I love the common people. I want to arm them against

360-450: The lawyer, the doctor, the priest, the literary man, the professor, the artist, and the politician, who, once in authority, is the most dangerous, disastrous, and tyrannical of all the fools, rascals, and impostors. I want a democratic power strong enough to force the intellectual oligarchy to use its genius for the general good or else perish. Jeffrey A. Winters and Benjamin I. Page have described Colombia, Indonesia, Russia, Singapore and

384-447: The list of top (political party) donors. Economist Simon Johnson argued that the rise of an American financial oligarchy became particularly prominent following the 2008 financial crisis. This financial elite has been described as wielding significant power over both the economy and political decisions. Former President Jimmy Carter in 2015 characterized the United States as an "oligarchy with unlimited political bribery" following

408-534: The majority of Americans. While the United States maintains democratic features such as regular elections, freedom of speech, and widespread suffrage, the study noted that policy decisions are disproportionately influenced by economic elites. However, the study received criticism from other scholars, who argued that the influence of average citizens should not be discounted and that the conclusions about oligarchic tendencies were overstated. Gilens and Page defended their research, reiterating that while they do not label

432-420: The party took the name of Parti Patriote, reflecting a much stronger sense of French-Canadian nationalism and a change of strategy. The Patriotes largely favoured agriculture over commercialism and blocked many economic projects led by their adversaries. The party succeeded in delaying development of British capitalism within the colony. However, their positions were often seen as unclear. The party's new strategy

456-521: The power, was chosen by an appointed British governor, whom the Parti canadien considered to be seriously corrupt and hostile to the interests of the majority of the population. In 1806, the Parti canadien imitated its political adversaries, the Tory Château Clique , in founding a newspaper named Le Canadien . In 1810, Governor Craig had Bédard and some of his colleagues at the newspaper arrested and imprisoned without trial for

480-761: The proposition. Papineau later sailed to Britain to present the petition to the British Government and to rally for the rights of the people of Lower Canada, only to have the issue heard with little action to follow. Later, the British Parliament passed the Canada Land and Tenures Act which abolished the feudal and seigneurial systems in British North America . The act left property rights of many land owners in limbo and created much confusion and conflict in Lower Canada where

504-414: The rapid privatization that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. By 2021, Ukraine passed a law aimed at curbing oligarchic influence on politics and the economy. Several commentators and scholars have suggested that the United States demonstrates characteristics of an oligarchy, particularly in relation to the concentration of wealth and political influence among a small elite, as exemplified by

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528-477: The use of the term as meaning rule by the rich, contrasting it with aristocracy , arguing that oligarchy was the perverted form of aristocracy. The consolidation of power by a dominant religious or ethnic minority can be considered a form of oligarchy. Examples include South Africa during apartheid , Liberia under Americo-Liberians , the Sultanate of Zanzibar , and Rhodesia . In these cases, oligarchic rule

552-654: Was considered too radical even by some of its members, most notably John Neilson , who eventually left the party in 1830. In 1834, Papineau and the Parti Patriote created the Ninety-Two Resolutions ; an extensive list of demands for political reform which was sent to the British government. The British government ignored the resolutions for over three years until in 1837 it countered the Parti Patriote's requests with ten resolutions of its own, called

576-412: Was often tied to the legacy of colonialism. In the early 20th century, Robert Michels expanded on this idea in his Iron Law of Oligarchy He argued that even democracies, like all large organizations, tend to become oligarchic due to the necessity of dividing labor, which ultimately results in a ruling class focused on maintaining its power. Business groups may be considered oligarchies if they meet

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