About the Author: Rupsha Ahmed is a Student of the Department of Law, University of Calcutta.
INTRODUCTION
Who holds the ultimate power in a society? Since the early ancient times and throughout the evolution of societies, this question has been a concern. The civilisations evolved, and there came many systems of societies like the slavery system, the feudalist society, and the capitalist society in the present, but the crucial similarity between these systems is the power struggle that gave rise to various systems of government. Two such known systems of governance are Oligarchy and Democracy, both related to leadership and decision-making, and these two stand as opposites in this current debate. Oligarchy is the rule by a few privileged members of the society. These elites hold the power, influence society, and own wealth. In this system, power is concentrated in the hands of a few. Democracy, on the other hand, distributes power among the people, keeping in mind, equality, and people`s representation this system makes sure that everyone participates in the political process and everyone can voice their opinions and choose their leaders, unlike oligarchy, where people don’t choose their leaders.
From the Spartan era, where military oligarchy ruled to the democratic ideals of Athens, both systems have evolved side by side, both influencing countries. Both systems have coexisted and sometimes blended into hybrid forms. These systems show how societies function and also reflect the struggles of their time. While oligarchy excludes people’s opinions, democracy includes it. Today`s society is a result of the blend of both.
In this blog, we will explore the evolution of both the systems of oligarchy and democracy throughout time and how it affects the real world. As we see how power is distributed and why and how people struggle for power, we also get to know how equity is balanced in the ever-evolving society.
THE ROOTS OF GOVERNANCE
Oligarchy and democracy both originated in Ancient Greece. In Sparta, there was a military oligarchy a group of military elites used to hold power. This system showed that governing through oligarchy in the society keeps it stable and discipline is maintained. While oligarchy prevailed in Sparta, Athens favoured democracy, a system where free male citizens directly participated in decision-making. Although this democracy was not equality favoured as it excluded women and slaves from voting, Just because men were free to choose their representatives, this showed a distinction between oligarchy and democracy. Democracy in Athens ensured that there was equality among people who were eligible to participate. But none of these systems distributed power to everyone equally.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO
In an oligarchy, power is in the hands of a few people who are wealthy and have birth privileges. Also, military strength is another factor. This system represents the interests of the elites only. There is little to no participation of the common citizens. But democracy distributes power equally and ensures every citizen`s voice is heard. This represents the people and the people hold the ultimate power through voting. Everyone participates in democracy.
In democracy, the leaders are accountable to the public for their decisions as they don’t own absolute power but in oligarchy, there is no accountability to the people and the leaders do whatever they want to without restrictions. Public scrutiny is absent in the latter. People are more active in democracy and pressure groups exist to influence governmental decisions.
Oligarchy is biased and the elites want to maintain their status and therefore control everyone but democracy can adapt to change more flexibly. In India, there are a lot of cultures as it is a multicultural country. Democracy makes sure that everyone can enjoy their cultures and preferences in a freeway, unlike oligarchy where no one forces their opinions on another.
An oligarchy is more stable than a democracy as it is resistant to change and the control system is rigid. Democracy accepts innovation and respects debate so that everyone’s interests are heard.
In Oligarchy, conflict is resolved by suppressing the opinions of the public and ignoring them and in this system, the power of the elite is prioritised before civil and individual rights. But as democracy prioritizes civil rights and freedom, conflict is handled through negotiation and legal frameworks also exist here.
REAL-WORLD EXAMPLES
The relationship between oligarchy and democracy influences the governing of countries. When democracy gives power to all. Oligarchy means a small group of people having power. This also leads to systems where there is not any of them in a pure manner but a mix of both. As Russia rose after the fall of the Soviet Union, oligarchy came to be known. Russia is also a federal republic but as the country is complex with a mixed system of government, it is also considered as an oligarchy. Here, a small group of people have more wealth and power than others. These people own resources influencing their power in society. In Iran, a small group of high-ranked Shia people, led by a supreme leader rules. This group influences the country in matters of law-making, military and economic affairs. This country lets power rest with the religious elites while marginalizing other people.
On the other hand, India is the world’s largest democracy and has the most number of people’s participation despite economic challenges and differences of cultures. Democracy does not favour bias and gives everyone the same status and women and backward classes also have voting rights here. In the United States of America, a representative democracy works where there is a system of checks and balances through debates and corporate influences.
A BLURRED LINE BETWEEN THE SYSTEMS
Over time, political systems evolve and countries that started with oligarchy eventually incorporated some elements of democracy and this can go vice versa too. A hybrid system combines both oligarchy and democracy blending both of its features with another. There might be overlapping or there might be domination of one by the other, and this leads to a mix in balancing power. Here politicians elected by the public may still rely on the support of elite groups to maintain power. In reality, no countries are completely oligarchic or purely democratic. Countries with a hybrid system of governance where both systems coexist are common. Below are some of the examples:
In countries like the United States, capitalism prevails and corporate lobbying gives people and companies who are wealthy. This leads to those chosen people being able to look after policymaking completely and this results in protecting the interests of those elites as well as the common people, preserving the principle of equality.
Countries like Turkey and Hungary give the public freedom but in a limited manner and this shows how democracy is getting destroyed and oligarchy comes into being. Democratic institutions exist here but they are heavily influenced by the oligarchy.
CONCLUSION
By comparing the systems of oligarchy and democracy, we get to know how power is distributed and by studying the history of such, we learn how these systems evolved throughout the times. As oligarchy concentrates power in the hands of a few, it shows inequality and lack of representation whereas democracy represents the masses from the grassroots level too. Both systems are very different but they often get mixed together. The comparison shows how different these systems are and how they have changed but still existed in almost every era. Democracy is not ideally possible in this era. Nowadays global issues like economic inequality make the debate between these two systems important. By looking at the history and present world, we can understand how these governments face challenges. We need to keep a balance to make sure the society is fair and everyone gets liberty, equality and justice. The future of good governance depends on giving power back to the people, not just a select few.