- published: 14 Mar 2012
- views: 114027
Aristocracy (Greek ἀριστοκρατία aristokratía, from ἄριστος aristos "excellent," and κράτος kratos "power"), is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy. In later times, aristocracy was usually seen as rule by a privileged group (the aristocratic class), and contrasted with democracy.
The concept evolved in Ancient Greece, whereby a council of famous citizens was commonly used and contrasted with "direct monarchy" in which an individual king held the power. The Greeks did not like the concept of monarchy, and as their democratic system fell, aristocracy was upheld.
In Rome, the Republic consisted of an aristocracy as well as consuls, a senate, and a tribal assembly. Later, aristocracies primarily consisted of an elite aristocratic class, privileged by birth and often by wealth. Since the French Revolution, aristocracy has generally been contrasted with democracy, in which all citizens hold some form of political power. However this distinction is often oversimplified.
You talk of all the many things that you have
And you smile from day to day
But no one has ever seen any of these
And those smiles just fade away
Someone keeps shouting out 'I want to know'
Well I can't help singing this song
When they tell me that the devil is a gentleman too
I know I can't go wrong
I have to slip away today
I've been invited down to stay
Yes I feel my going down
They say that eight fishes call men in the sea
And use man-made for the bait
And shoots all the people that fly in the sky
That chance on his estate
That feeds on salmon, that just has to be seen
And none but he can do
They tell me this and they tell me that
And tell me this is always, always something new
You'd better believe it's so
I made up my mind to go
A whole world waits for you
I'll sit with my head thrust down on your knees
And smile for you again
And you won't have to worry about anything now
I'll be halfway there by ten
It only takes a moment to decide on the move
It all seems so absurd
Still I know that the devil is a gentleman too
Who never keeps his word
I made up my mind to go
You'd better believe it's so