Welcome to the Street Prophets Coffee Hour cleverly hidden at the intersection of religion and politics. This is an open thread where we can share our thoughts and comments about the day. This might be a good time to review the etymologies of the words which have been used to describe the Trump administration and its economic views.
Oligarchy
In modern terminology, oligarchy is used to describe a power structure in which power rests in the hands of relatively few people. Oligarchy came into English in the 1570s from the Middle French oligarchie which, in turn, came from the Greek oligarkhia meaning “government by the few.” The Greek stem oligos means “few, small, little” and the suffix arkhein means “to rule.”
In Ancient Greece, oligarchy as a form of government grew out of aristocratic opposition to democracy. While the aristocrats benefited from government, they disliked the idea of paying taxes to support it. The aristocrats longed for the “good old days” before democracy and felt that the experiment with democracy was a folly.
The few who control the power in an oligarchy may be people who are wealthy, or their power may rest in military might. One example of an oligarchy:
“Some examples of the oligarchic system of government can be found in Russia following the fall of the Soviet Union when a group of private businessmen dominate both wealth and political power in the Russian government. In the Russian example, oligarchs are identified as business magnates perceived as close to the current form of government. As of 2014, 110 Russian billionaires account for 35 percent of the country's wealth.”
In an oligarchy, citizens have little, if any, say in the decisions of government. Often oligarchies are viewed as a form of tyranny.
Plutocracy is a form of oligarchy in which the society is controlled by a small minority of its wealthiest citizens. In a plutocracy there is generally a high level of income inequality. Russia and the United States are often cited as examples of modern plutocracies.
Tyranny and Tyrant
In modern terminology, tyranny is used to describe a cruel or oppressive government. Tyranny came into English in the late fourteenth century from the Old French tyranie which in turn came from the Late Latin tyrannia which was from the Greek tyrannía meaning “rule of a tyrant, absolute power.”
While tyrannies are often associated with dictatorships, theocracies may also be tyrannies. A theocracy is, of course, a government which is based on religion, such as modern Iran. Tyranny involves the suppression of dissent and the use of law to support the oppressor. Nazi Germany is often cited as an example of tyranny.
Tyrant came into English about 1300 with the meaning of “absolute ruler.” It carried the implication of a ruler without a legal right. Tyrant comes from the Old French which is from the Latin tyrannus meaning “lord, master, monarch, despot.” In Latin, tyrannus implied an arbitrary ruler, a cruel governor, or an autocrat.
Looking back at Ancient Greece, where the concept of tyranny originated, by the mid-seventh century BCE the gap between rich and poor had grown to an intolerable level. The aristocracy took their power to rule for granted, often ignoring the needs of the people. The tyrants first emerged as rogue aristocrats who seized power and overthrew the aristocratic families. In Ancient Greece, the tyrants were simply unconstitutional rulers, not necessarily dictators. The great poets of the fifth century BCE, such as Pindar and Bacchylides, praised the achievements of the tyrants.
The Greeks understood the concept of a tyrant as a ruler whose authority was not legitimate. Thus, a hereditary sovereign would not be considered a tyrant regardless of how cruel he might be. In his book The Complete Illustrated History of Ancient Greece, Nigel Rodgers writes:
“‘Tyrant’ to Greeks in c.600 BC was no more abusive that ‘chief’ is to us. The men who won and exercised extraordinary power could even sometimes be called ‘beneficial tyrants.’”
Despotism
In modern terminology, despotism describes the exercise of absolute power, with the implication that this power is used in a cruel and oppressive way. Despotism is based on the noun despot meaning “absolute ruler” which came into English in the 1560s from the Old French despot which, in turn, came from the Medieval Latin desporta which is from the Greek despotes meaning “master of a household, lord, absolute ruler.” The Proto-Indo-European stem is *dems-pota- meaning “house-master.”
The despot is an absolute ruler who is not restricted by law, constitution, legislative bodies, or opposition.
It is interesting to note that the Declaration of Independence states:
“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
Open Thread
This is an open thread—all topics are welcome.