Plutocracy

plutocracy

1. the rule or control of society by the wealthy

2. a state or government characterized by the rule of the wealthy

3. a class that exercises power by virtue of its wealth

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Plutocracy 

the rule of the wealthy and the dominance of money. Most often plutocracy denotes a state system in which political power belongs to the most well-to-do circles. Plutocracy may exist de facto and with high property qualifications established by law, or it may exist simply de facto and irrespective of declared democratic norms. Essentially, exploiting states are always plutocratic in nature, but the term is usually applied to states ruled openly by the highest and economically most influential strata of the most dominant class.