Everything about Aristocrat totally explained
Aristocracy is a hereditary form of government, where rule is established through an internal struggle over who has the most status and influence over society and internal relations. Power is maintained by a hereditary
elite, from a
caste,
class, family (or even some individuals).
Aristocracies have most often been hereditary
plutocracies (see below), with a belief in their own superiority. Aristocracies often include a monarch who although a member of the aristocracy rules over the aristocracy as well as the rest of society.
Aristocracy can also refer to the highest class in society even if they don't rule directly.
They are usually under the leaders of the country in the ladder of status.
The term "aristocracy" is derived from the Greek
aristokratia, meaning the rule of the best.
History
The term "aristocracy" was first given in Athens to young
citizens (the men of the ruling class) who led armies from the front line. Since
military bravery was such a highly regarded
virtue in ancient Greece, it was assumed that the armies were being led by "the best". From the ancient Greeks, the term passed on to the European
Middle Ages for a similar hereditary class of military leaders often referred to as the "
nobility". As in ancient Greece, this was a slave-holding class of privileged men whose military role allowed them to present themselves as the most "noble", or "best".
In India, these men are usually of the martial or
Kshatriya caste such as the
Gujjars and
Rajputs and their sub-divisions.
In the Islamic world, the aristocratic caste of
Sayyid belongs exclusively to the descendants of
Muhammad's immediate family babys and extends to all classes of society. This is usually distinguished from the ordinary use of "Sayyid" to mean 'Sir' or 'Lord'.
The French Revolution attacked aristocrats as people who had achieved their status by birth rather than by merit, such as being considered unjust. The term had become synonymous with people who claim luxuries and privileges as a birthright. In the
United Kingdom and other European countries in which
hereditary titles are still recognised, "aristocrat" still refers to the descendant of one of approximately 7,000 families with hereditary titles, usually still in possession of considerable wealth, though not necessarily so.
In the
United States and other nations without a history of a hereditary military
caste,
aristocracy has taken on a more stylistic meaning. It also can refer to those, like the Roosevelts, whose families came to the United States early in its history, acquired large holdings and have been able to hang onto their wealth through many generations. In the American south, particularly in former Confederate states, the term southern aristocracy refers to those families that acquired large land holdings before the Civil War and remain wealthy landowners to this day, or to families that lost their wealth in the 19th century but continue to insist on deference. In some cases, especially the latter, the usage is pejorative and refers to purveyors of
snobbery, but "aristocrat" can also refer to an elegant person with a gracious lifestyle and strong sense of duty.
Comparison with other forms of government
Aristocracy can be compared with:
As a
government term, aristocracy can be compared with:
- autocracy - "rule by a single individual", such as a dictator or absolute monarch.
- meritocracy - "rule by those who most deserve to rule". While this appears to be the same as the original meaning of "aristocracy", the term "meritocracy" has usually implied a much more fluid form of government in which one is, at most, considered "best" for life, but must continually prove one's "merit" in order to stay in power. This power isn't passed on to descendants.
- plutocracy - "rule by the wealthy". In actual practice, aristocrats' wealth allows them to portray their own virtues as the "best" ones. Usually, this wealth is passed down through inheritance, and in countries like England may be kept intact through primogeniture, in which the oldest child (usually first male) inherits the bulk of the wealth and titles.
- oligarchy - "rule by the few". Whether an aristocracy is also an oligarchy depends entirely upon one's idea of what is a "few".
- monarchy - "rule by a single individual". Historically, the vast majority of monarchs have been aristocrats themselves. However, they've also been very often at odds with the rest of the aristocracy, since it was composed of their rivals. The struggle between a ruling dynastic family and the other aristocratic families in the same country has been a central theme of medieval history.
- democracy - "rule by the majority". Democracy and aristocracy are incompatible as forms of government due to the hereditary nature of power in an aristocratic system. Exclusion of this was Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, where kind of democracy of nobility (szlachta) existed.
Further Information
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