Oligarchy

1. ol·i·gar·chy

   ˈäləˌɡärkē/

   noun

   noun: oligarchy; plural noun: oligarchies

   1. a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution.

      "the ruling oligarchy of military men around the president"

      • a country governed by an oligarchy.

        "the English aristocratic oligarchy of the 19th century"
      • government by oligarchy.

   Origin

   

   late 15th century: from Greek oligarkhia (probably via medieval Latin).

   Translate oligarchy to

   Use over time for: oligarchy

   

   Translations, word origin, and more definitions


Oligarchy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligarchy

Wikipedia
Oligarchy ^1] is a form of power structure in which power effectively rests with a small number of people. These people could be distinguished by royalty, wealth, ...

‎Plutocracy - ‎Aristocracy - ‎Netocracy - ‎Iron law of oligarchy
Oligarchy | Define Oligarchy at Dictionary.com
dictionary.reference.com/browse/oligarchy

Dictionary.com
a form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few. 2. a state or organization so ruled. 3.
The problem with most democracies now being Oligarchies is that democracy is destroyed in the process. 
Democracy doesn't completely die in an oligarchy in a democracy. It is only the most fundamental elements that are stolen from the people in an oligarchy. The illusion of democracy is kept locally and in states like in the individual states here in the U.S. However, it is obvious to any thinking person that right now democracy in regard to the largest and most life or death important decisions has been de facto taken away from the American People. 
One need only look carefully at what the Congress does or does not do now and during the last four years and the next 2  when the New Congress comes in. Shutting the government down for example, is symptomatic of a dysfunctional Oligarchic government not responding to the needs of the people.
Because if you are rich you want nothing to be done because the most money can be siphoned from the middle and lower classes while nothing is done by a government to protect the average person from this.
So, this is one of the reasons why we have now moved from 30% controlling 70% of the resources of this country in the 1960s and 1970s to 10% controlling 90% of the financial resources of this country. And because of the present dynamics of greed of the 10% this could potentially go to 1% of the people controlling 99% of the financial resources of this country. However, some where between 10% and 1% you have something that looks a lot like the French revolution with guillotines for the 10% or 1% historically if you study history.
So, it is in the interests of the 10% or even the 1% to make sure money is distributed more equally so the 10% aren't all murdered by the 90% at some point in the near or far future.