Plutocracy

A system of government in which wealthy people hold political power or wealth strongly shapes political decisions. It can operate through formal rule by the rich or influence over nominally representative institutions.

Campaign finance: The raising and spending of money to influence elections and political campaigns. Large donations and independent spending can give wealthy actors disproportionate access and influence.
Democracy: A system of government in which political authority ultimately rests with the people. Democratic ideals of equal political standing conflict with political power concentrated by wealth.
Ancient Greece: The civilization of Greek-speaking communities around the Mediterranean from the archaic period through antiquity. Greek political thought supplied early vocabulary for rule by the wealthy and its alternatives.
Venetian Republic: A maritime republic centered on Venice that endured from the late seventh century until 1797. Its governing institutions reserved political authority largely for an entrenched patrician elite.
Economic inequality: Unequal distribution of income, wealth, or economic resources among people or groups. Unequal fortunes can create unequal capacities to shape laws and political agendas.
Lobbying: Efforts to influence public officials and legislation on behalf of particular interests. Wealth can fund sustained access to lawmakers and shape the rules they consider.
Oligarchy: A system of government controlled by a small group of people. Plutocracy is a form of oligarchy in which wealth defines or dominates the ruling group.
Aristotle: An ancient Greek philosopher whose writings shaped Western approaches to politics, ethics, and nature. He analyzed oligarchy as rule by the wealthy in his classification of constitutions.
Dutch Republic: A federation of provinces that governed the northern Netherlands from 1588 to 1795. A powerful merchant regent class dominated provincial and national political life.
Wealth concentration: The accumulation of a large share of a society's wealth among a small number of people. Concentrated wealth can give a small group durable leverage over political institutions.

Linked from 4 pages