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The Ancient Greek term aristocracy meant a system of government with "rule by the best". This is the first definition given in most dictionaries. The word is derived from two words, "aristos" meaning the "best" and "kratein" "to rule". Aristocracies have most often been hereditary plutocracies (see below), where a sense of historical gravitas and noblesse oblige demands high minded action from its members.
As a government term, aristocracy can be contrasted with:
autocracy - "rule by a single individual", such as a dictator or absolute monarch.
meritocracy - "rule by those who most deserve to rule". While this has on the surface a nearly similar meaning to "aristocracy", the term "meritocracy" has usually implied a much more fluid form of government in which one is, at most, considered "best" for life, but must continually prove one's "merit" in order to stay in power. This power is not passed on to decendents.
plutocracy - "rule by the wealthy". In actual practice, aristocrats are often just plutocrats whose wealth allows them to portray their own virtues as the "best" ones. Usually, this wealth is passed down through inheritance, and, in countries like England, is kept intact through primogeniture, in which the oldest child (usually first male) inherets the bulk of the wealth and titles..
oligarchy - "rule by the few". Whether an aristocracy is also an oligarchy depends entirely upon one's idea of what is a "few".
monarchy - "rule by a single individual". Historically, the vast majority of monarchs have been aristocrats themselves. However, they have also been very often at odds with the rest of the aristocracy, since it was composed of their rivals. The struggle between a ruling dynastic family and the other aristocratic families in the same country has been a central theme of medieval history.
democracy - "rule by the people". For the past two centuries, democracy has often presented itself as the greatest enemy of aristocracy. The linguistic conflict between them began with the American Revolution ideal of all men being "created equal", quickly followed by the French Revolution (the first in Europe), and continued throughout the 19th century, occasionally flaring up in violent episodes such as the revolutions of 1848. Arguably, the end of the First World War in 1918 marked the final linguistic victory of "democracy" over "aristocracy" as a preferred term for government.
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History
The term "aristocracy" was first given in Athens to young citizens who led armies from the front line with their swords up. Since military bravery was such a highly regarded virtue in ancient Greece, the armies were being led by "the best". From the ancient Greeks, the term passed on to the European Middle Ages for a similar hereditary class of military leaders often referred to as the "nobility". As in ancient Greece, this was a slave holding class of privileged men whose military role made them see themselves as the most "noble", or "best". In India, these men are usually of the martial or Kshatriya caste such as the Gujjars and Rajputs and their sub-divisions. In the Islamic world, the aristocratic caste of Sayyid belongs exclusively to the descendants of Prophet Muhammad and extends to all classes of society. This is usually distinguished from the ordinary use of "Sayyid" to mean 'Sir' or 'Lord'. In this sense, the Sayyid is a born aristocrat on account of his/her blood lineage to the person of the Prophet Muhammad and is usually synonymous with high morality, integrity, cleanliness, impeccable manners and deep courtesy. Both aristocracies relied upon an established church to back up their claims of being "best" in the society. Philosopher Alec Harras was once quoted as saying: "There's almost two billion people in the world in the lower class, that's such a small amount. It's maybe ten or twenty percent of the population. And for some reason it feels like such a dominating force, now there's aristocracy for you"
One of the key causes of the French Revolution was the idea that the traditional aristocracy no longer represented the "best" of its society. The army had been modernized by Louis XIV to a degree that aristocrats no longer rode at the front of their troops, but directed movements from a safe distance. It was difficult to abide the aristocracy's traditional privileges when they didn't earn them in the traditional way. Civic nobles -- the "nobility of the robe" -- were seen as greedy courtiers who attended the court at Versailles or held appointed positions for their own gain.
The French Revolution attacked aristocrats as people who had achieved their status by birth rather than by merit, such unearned status being considered an affront to the bourgeoisie and new liberal norms. The term thus became symbolic of people who claim luxuries and privileges as a birthright, rather than people who claim the chance to die on the front lines as a birthright, a far cry from the original meaning of the term. In the United Kingdom and other European countries in which hereditary titles are still recognized, "aristocrat" still refers to the descendant of one of approximately 7,000 families with hereditary titles, usually still in possession of considerable wealth, though not necessarily so.
In the United States and other nations without a history of a hereditary military caste, aristocracy has taken on a more stylistic meaning. It also can refer to those, like the Roosevelts, whose families came to the United States early in its history, acquired large holdings and have been able to hang onto their wealth through many generations. In the American south, particularly in former Confederate states, the term southern aristocracy refers to those families that acquired large land holdings before the Civil War and remain wealthy landowners to this day, or to families that lost their wealth in the 19th century but continue to insist on deference. In some cases, especially the latter, the usage is pejorative and refers to purveryors of snobbery, but "aristocrat" can also refer to an elegant person with a gracious lifestyle and strong sense of duty. This last meaning can be seen as taking the term back to its original roots.
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See also
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Further reading
Bence-Jones, Mark. The Viceroys of India. Curzon family.
Brough, James. Consuelo: Portrait of an American Heiress Consuelo Vanderbilt's marriage to the Duke of Marlborough. Marlborough family.
Bush, Michael L. The English Aristocracy: a Comparative Synthesis. Manchester University Press, 1984. Concise comparative historical treatment.
Bush, Michael L. Noble Privilege. (The European Nobility, vol. 1) Manchester University Press, 1983.
Cannadine, David, 1998 Aspects of Aristocracy (series Penguin History) ISBN 0-14-024953-2. Essays on class issues, aristocratic family norms, careers.
Cannadine, David. The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy. Yale University Press, 1990.
Channon, Sir Henry. Chips: The Diaries of Sir Henry Channon Robert Rhodes James, editor. Excerpts from the diaries of a privileged observer, 1934–53.
Country Life Magazine, Documenting houses, gardens, pictures, horses, local history, debutantes since 1897.
Girouard, Mark. Life in the English Country House A Social and Architectural History
Halperin, John. Eminent Georgians: The Lives of King George V, Elizabeth Bowen, St. John Philby, & Nancy Astor
Jullian, Philippe. Prince of aesthetes: Count Robert de Montesquiou, 1855-1921. Montesquiou family; the Decadent movement and the original of Proust's Baron de Charlus.
Lacey, Robert. Aristocrats. Little, Brown, 1983.
Lampedusa, G., The Leopard novel.
Lovell, Mary S. The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family.
Mitford, Jessica. Hons and Rebels. ISBN 1-59017-110-1
Montagu of Beaulieu, Lord (Edward John Barrington Douglas-Scott-Montagu). More equal than others: The changing fortunes of the British and European aristocracies. St. Martin, 1970.
Morton, Henry. The Rothschilds.
Nicholson, Nigel. Portrait of a Marriage Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson
Pearson, John. The Sitwells: A Family's Biography
Pine, Leslie G. Tales of the British Aristocracy. Burke Publishing Co. 1956.
Proust, Marcel, The Guermantes' Way, Sodom and Gomorrah. The closed circle of French aristocracy after 1870.
Sutherland, Douglas, The Fourth Man: The story of Blunt, Philby, Burgess, and Maclean The double career of Sir Anthony Blunt, Keeper of the Queen's Works of Art and spy.
Wasson, Ellis, Aristocracy and the Modern World, Palgrave Macmillan 2006.
Waugh, Evelyn, Decline and Fall.
Winchester, Simon. Their Noble Lordships: Class and Power in Modern Britain. Faber & Faber, 1981.
Film: Gosford Park, The Perfect Husband, A Room with a View
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