OCR GCSE Ancient History · J198
Paper 1
Government in which political power is held by a small group rather than by one ruler or the wider citizen body.
Revise: Polycrates' International Relations and External OppositionSparta’s preference for oligarchy could also encourage intervention against a tyrant. Neither explanation means that Sparta was trying to establish democracy on Samos. Opposition to one-man rule could instead favour government by a small group.
- Revise: The Spartan Reaction and Corinthian Opposition to Tyranny
- Revise: Aristotle and The Old Oligarch: Constitutional Sources
Government controlled by a relatively small group, often the wealthy or socially powerful.