Us : Oligarchy Or Republic?

The United States of America is governed by an oligarchy. Regardless of what children are taught every year in school, from kindergarten to graduation, the belief instilled in people from a young age that we are a democracy is an idealistic, and unrealistic view of current political affairs. Before delving into why the United States operates as a government dominated by the economic elite rather than a democracy though, the latter must be defined. Following the classical teachings of Aristotle’s utopian view of democracy, in which each citizen has as much weight in the policy-making that governs as any other and still maintains the rights to live as a free individual, it is not controversial to suggest that America has never been a

The United States government is a democracy, a system of elected policymakers and an organized government so that policy is created in favor to the people 's wants and needs. Many like to categorize this system of government off of its characteristics and patterns. Three theories have been grouped into the three contemporary theories of democracy, where the United States fits into each in a different way. Pluralism reflects the use of groups advocating for a single cause, while Hyperpluralism is Pluralism that did not go correctly because groups are so strong that the government weakened itself. In addition to pluralism and hyperpluralism, the Elite and Class Theory introduces the idea that a government has an elite, wealthy ruler who runs the classes below it. These three contemporary theories of democracy are all applicable to the United States government, but pluralism is the most prominent out of these three theories because the United States is based off of political and advocate groups that press for changes in policies with a balance that prevents the scales from tipping onto the hyperpluralist side.

The government in the United States supposedly revolves around American ideals such as equality and diversity; however, this is simply not the case as perpetuated by class inequalities. The meaning of democracy has been skewed in the United States to represent something entirely different than it did in 1776. Today, American democracy behaves more like an aristocracy, where the upper class exercises power within the government and state, influencing discourse and therefore the laws and resources in our country, which are purportedly “for the people”. Democracy is presumed to provide everyone with equal political power, but the government in today’s America, although seemingly following this ideal model, does not. Instead, the elite upper class has a monopoly over the political influence and are the sole benefactors from public policies due to their influence over the policy making process. The upper class has an overall benefit from class inequality, as it greatly impacts American ‘democracy’ through the significant power gained through money and status, leadership roles that impact government, and the influence in the policymaking process that creates upper class advantages.

The Executive Branch which consists of the President and Vice President is responsible for carrying out the laws passed by United States congress. The Executive branch has the power to veto the laws passed by the United States congress as well. The two branches work collectively with one another and the legislative branch relies heavily on the approval of the Executive Branch.

The United States is no longer the democracy it stands for. Democracy stands for a government controlled by the majority of the population. The United States is no longer controlled by the majority. America is controlled by the powerful corporations and rich elite. The combination of an uninformed, disinterested public, a flawed election process, and an economy controlled by 1% of the population have all led to the formation of the American Oligarchy.

Under the first Article in the Constitution, the U.S. Congress is the first branch and is also known as the most important representative body of the world. They are among the other few national representative bodies that acquire powers of governance. The U.S. Congress is made up of two chambers, The House of Representatives and The Senate. The two most important powers given to any government are the power of force and the power over money, and the U.S. Congress has the authority over the two. They have a lot of power in their hands (Lowi, 130).

Democracy, as defined in American Government: Power and Purpose, is “a system of rule that permits citizens to play a significant part in the governmental process, usually through the selection of key public officials.” In the centuries before and since its founding, the United States has indubitably had undemocratic elements. In colonial times, the thirteen colonies’ government derived most of its authority from the elites, depriving many of those residing in lower socioeconomic classes from a voice in government. During the time of the American Revolution,

While congress is split into the two houses, the executive branch rests almost solely on the President. The President is created in Article II Section 1, “The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years [...] together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term.” The President is the head of the Government, sometimes called, “Leader of the Free World.” However, the Founders were sure to not create a King out of the President. The word President was taken from the Latin word, Praesident, which means “To Sit Before” and the English word Preside meaning “Be in the position of authority in a meeting or gathering.” The President was created preside over the government, not to control it, as the founders wanted the most power to lie within the states, and more directly, their people. The President has the power to Veto bills, as well as the power of appointment, however when they veto a bill it gets sent back to congress, and when they appoint judges they have to be approved by the senate. The the Executive branch has nearly all of its’ powers centralized in the President, however the President's powers are almost all nearly checked by the other

Congress is under the Legislative Branch, which gives it the power to bring laws into effect for the country. However, that power is shared with the Judiciary Branch (the Supreme Court) in the sense that this branch interprets laws and acts of Congress. The Supreme Court is able to, through judicial review, also void any laws implemented by Congress that are considered to be

government and is also known as Congress. Congress is made up of 2 houses; The House of Representatives and the Senate. Officials elected for the House of Representatives must be at least 25 years old and be U.S. citizens for at least 7 years; The number of Representatives is decided based on that state's population and they are elected by residents from that state. The Senate has 100 officials, 2 from each state and they are also elected by residents from that state; senators must be at least 30 years old and be citizens of the U.S. for 9 years. Their main job is to create laws, bills, and/or amendments that will benefit citizens. The laws must be supported by the Bill of Rights, which are the first ten amendments stating general rights every U.S. citizen has. For a law to be passed, two thirds of each house must approve of that bill and then it is sent to the President for his approval and signature. The Legislative branch is also in charge of money; they are the only branch that can create and collect taxes. Presidents, Presidential Appointments, and Supreme Court Justices can also be rejected or impeached by congress. In addition, Congress can also reject treaties the President may also want to make with other countries and they have full military power; Congress decides if the U.S. will get involved in any type of war and how they will do

Each of the three branches is controlled by the other two in several ways. The president can veto a law which was passed by Congress, yet Congress can override the veto with a two-thirds vote of both houses. Members of the Supreme Court, which are appointed by the president and approved by Congress, can declare a law passed by Congress is unconstitutional. The U.S. Constitution, Article 1 Section 1, states that the legislative branch be created from two separate bodies: a House of Representatives and a Senate, together is known as Congress.

Robert Michels believed that any political system eventually evolves into an oligarchy. He called this the iron law of oligarchy. According to this school of thought, modern democracies should be considered as oligarchies. Unfortunately, Oligarchy Governments really hide under the name of democratic. As an example, a number of former Soviet states, including Ukraine. Officially, we live in a democratic state, but we all know who is at the helm of state power. Ukraine is called a democratic state, which governed by a few oligarchic clans.

In the 1700s when the United States had detached itself from British rule it was then seen as a plutocracy. The U.S established as a democracy; a government of the people and by the people. However, this establishment was in favor of the rich, educated, and powerful and anyone who was categorized or known as elites and it has remained in favor of these people ever since. Yes we can say we have witnessed variations and seen a semi-democratic rise in the past two centuries, but we have remained a plutocracy hidden behind the word that people use to cover its true identity, democracy. Those like the framers, the public opinion role, interest groups, and money all portray our hidden plutocracy.

The legislative branch is also the “only part of the government that can make new laws or change existing laws.”("white house"). A society is formed and controlled by rules and regulations, those who make these rules and regulations basically control society. The president does have the power to veto any law he doesn’t approve of, but if Congress is in accord with the Senate they can “override his veto with two thirds vote of each chamber.”("white house") ounce again subordinating the president . When the legislative branch has both houses in coalition with each other the executive branch really has no power over the legislative branch.

The United States of America is one of the oldest contemporary democracies, is currently the second largest democracy, and is ranked the 16th best democracy in the world (Campbell et. Al, 2014). Yet there is a legitimate question over whether or not the United States can still truly be considered a democracy, with some studies even suggesting it has begun to resemble an oligarchy (Chumley, 2014). In this essay, I will use Dahl’s criteria of voting equality and effective participation to determine whether or not the United States are truly a democracy.