Democracy And Oligarchy Essay

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Is a Democracy Really What You Think It Is? What is considered an ideal democracy? Would it be where the people rule directly or where there are representatives who organize the government? More importantly, what is a democracy exactly? Some would define it as a form of government where the people rule, others as where the poor rule, and I would say it is where everyone contributes in how the government is ran but do not control the final decisions made. In Aristotle 's "Democracy and Oligarchy", he discusses the different kinds of democracies that exist and how equality plays a huge role in defining it. Without equality, or even limiting it, it can change a democracy into an oligarchy. He goes into detail about each kind there is and further analyzes how regardless of having similar elements, they are each unique in their own way. Having been given examples and definitions of true democracies, I strongly believe it is impossible to have a democracy without equality for then it would not be a democracy but a form of oligarchy. One of Aristotle 's version of democracy "is that which is said to be strictly based on equality."(66) In this form the rich and the poor are considered equal and above that, they have the supreme
Having freedom gives you equality however being given equality does not necessarily give you freedom. This is stated in this manner to emphasize how democracy is dependent on the idea of equality. Any form of government in which there are restrictions as to who gets to have a part in the government is considered more of an oligarchy because it would limit the government to be ran by a small group of

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