WORLD CIVILIZATION

Detailed explanation-1: -By passing laws that favored the rich, the oligarchs protected and increased their own wealth. Using the army, they forced others to obey these unjust laws.

Detailed explanation-2: -Encyclopedic Entry Vocabulary. Broadly speaking, an oligarchy is a form of government characterized by the rule of a few persons or families. More specifically, the term was used by Greek philosopher Aristotle in contrast to aristocracy, which was another term to describe rule by a privileged few.

Detailed explanation-3: -Aristotle pioneered the use of the term as meaning rule by the rich, for which another term commonly used today is plutocracy. One of the first oligarchies in history is that of Sparta, which developed the concept alongside its rival Athens, and essentially provided a counterpoint to Athenian democracy.

Detailed explanation-4: -By the 8th century BCE many of the Greek city-states were ruled by nobles. This type of government is called an oligarchy, which means “ruled by a few.” The best known city-state that practiced an oligarchy was Sparta.