Politics by Aristotle; Barker Ernest; Stalley R. F

Author:Aristotle; Barker, Ernest; Stalley, R. F.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 1998-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 7

3. Aristocracies. Here changes are due to a policy of narrowing the circle of the government. The collapse of aristocracies—as also of ‘constitutional governments’ (polities), which are closely allied—is generally due to a defective balance of the different elements combined in the constitution: this may lead either to change in the direction in which the balance is tilted, or to violent reaction towards the opposite extreme. Aristocracies are particularly liable to be the victims of trifling occasions. All constitutions may be affected and undermined by the influence of powerful neighbouring cities.

1306b22 In aristocracies factional disputes may arise from the limitation of office and honours to a narrow circle. This is a cause which, as we have mentioned,* produces commotions in oligarchies; and it naturally affects aristocracies, because they too are in some sense oligarchies. In both types of constitutions, though for different reasons, the ruling class is small; and it is this common feature which will explain why an aristocracy may be regarded as a kind of oligarchy. This particularly tends to happen when there is a mass of people convinced that they are as good in character as the rulers. This was the case with those at Sparta called the Partheniae, who were the [illegitimate] sons of Spartan peers:* they conspired together but were detected, and sent out to colonize Tarentum. The same thing may happen when people of great ability, and second to none in their merits, are treated dishonourably by those who themselves enjoy higher honours—as Lysander* was by the kings of Sparta. It may happen, again, when a man of high spirit—like Cinadon, the leader of the conspiracy [in 398 BC] against the Spartan peers in the reign of king Agesilaus—is debarred from honours and office. It may happen too, when some of the ruling class become excessively poor, and others excessively rich. This happens particularly in times of war. It happened, for example, at Sparta in the time of the Messenian War. The poem of Tyrtaeus, entitled ‘Good Government’,* is sufficient evidence: it tells how people impoverished by the war demanded a redistribution of landed property. In addition someone who has a great position, and the capacity for a still greater, [will promote factional disputes] in order to make himself the one ruler. Pausanias,* who was general during the Persian War, is an example at Sparta; Hanno at Carthage is another.

1307a5 But the downfall of aristocracies, and also of ‘constitutional governments’ [polities], is chiefly due to some deviation from justice in the constitution itself. In either case the origin of the downfall is a failure to combine different elements properly. In ‘constitutional governments’ the elements are democracy and oligarchy: in aristocracies they are both of these and the further element of merit; but even in the latter the real difficulty is that of combining the first two elements, which are the ones that ‘constitutional governments’ (as well as most of the so-called aristocracies) actually attempt to combine. The only difference between aristocracies and what

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