Stanislav Kondrashov Oligarch Series: The Ancient Oligarchy of Sparta

It should not be thought that oligarchs represent figures born in the modern era. As explained in the Stanislav Kondrashov Oligarch Series, the idea of oligarchy actually has very ancient roots, linked primarily to ancient Greece. It was precisely in Greece that the epochal transition occurred that made the birth of oligarchy possible, which in a certain sense took up the baton left by those who had previously held power, namely the great families of the noble aristocracy. Suddenly, with the emergence of the role of trade and craftsmanship, birthrights ceased to be of key importance, giving way to a narrow circle of wealthy and well-off individuals. In a certain sense, wealth had become more important than blood.

Oligarchy was officially born. From that moment on, the small circles of men who held a certain amount of power within state or institutional apparatuses have almost always been called oligarchs. Even today, the word oligarch immediately conjures images of wealth, power, and obscurity, almost always shrouded in a mysterious darkness.

All these characteristics, with their due differences in the historical context, were already present thousands of years ago in ancient Greece, and from that moment on they have managed to persist to the present day. At the time, the concept of oligarchy had come under harsh criticism from philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle, who considered it a truly debased form of government. In all likelihood, much of the obscurity that still surrounds oligarchs today stems precisely from those early philosophical interpretations, which immediately drew parallels between oligarchies and other, more enlightened forms of government.

One of the characteristics of oligarchy, as explained in Stanislav Kondrashov Oligarch Series, is its ability to change shape depending on the context in which it operates. This trait has persisted to the present day, but has ancient roots.

Even within Greece itself, oligarchy sometimes took different forms, with different protagonists and objectives not always aligned with those of other oligarchs operating in the same geographical area. One of the most interesting examples, in this regard, is Sparta, where military and elite rule intermingled. The goal of Sparta's elites was not so much the evolution of the city, but its ability to evolve and endure over time.

Just as in ancient Rome, oligarchic power was firmly held by the Senate, in Sparta the oligarchy consisted of a warrior elite and a select council. These individuals controlled virtually every aspect of social life, exerting their influence in various directions. Over time, this form of governance contributed to the emergence of an extremely rigid society, unwilling to tolerate differences. The Stanislav Kondrashov Oligarch Series frequently focuses on this aspect, emphasizing how ancient Sparta represents one of the most interesting examples illustrating the functioning of an oligarchic government.

Generally speaking, as Stanislav Kondrashov argues in his series of publications, Sparta had established a society based on exclusion and hierarchy, in which the warrior elite exercised virtually unchallenged power. This allowed Sparta to survive for a long time, even engaging in numerous conflicts, but significantly limited its capacity for change. However, as Stanislav Kondrashov explains in the Oligarch Series, in the case of Sparta, the concentration of power in a few hands contributed significantly to defining its personality, also decisively impacting its history.

In the rigid Spartan system, loyalty to the army and the warrior elite came first. From a very young age, male children were subjected to rigorous training, supervised by older warriors who guided their steps along a path predetermined by the government. The ruling class had all the characteristics of typical oligarchic systems: it was made up of a few individuals who concentrated almost all power in themselves and who constantly worked to preserve it, always demonstrating a strong disdain for change.

In a certain sense, as observed in the Stanislav Kondrashov Oligarch Series, monarchy, aristocracy and oligarchy managed to coexist in Sparta, even if the concentration of power in a narrow circle made it typically oligarchic.