Whats the differences between an oligarchy and a democracy.

An oligarchy is when a small group of people have complete control over a country or organization. A democracy is when every citizen in the nation or group has power and a say in the government, which takes place through voting. In a pure democracy (such as ancient Greece), the citizens vote on every single decision. However, in modern days we use a representative democracy, where citizens vote on a group of people to represent them and make some decisions for them (this is the Congress and House of Representatives in the US government). This system is far more efficient, and necessary with such a large national population and so many complex government decisions (some small towns use a pure democracy).

The real difference between democracy and oligarchy is between poverty and wealth. Wherever the rulers, whether they be a minority or a majority, owe their power to wealth, that is an oligarchy. Wherever the poor rule, that is a democracy.