Aristotle's Politics Books 4 and 5

Flashcards covering Aristotle's analysis of governance, the types of democracy, the role of social classes, and the concept of a mixed constitution as described in Books 4 and 5 of Politics.

Aristotle's Politics Books Four and Five

A more technical and grounded section of Aristotle's work focusing on implementable versions of justice for ordinary people rather than ideal forms.

The Six Constitutions

The total number of political structures identified by Aristotle, consisting of three just forms (kingship, aristocracy, and constitutional government) and their three corrupted forms (tyranny, oligarchy, and democracy).

Kingship

A form of government ruled by a single person suited to rule strictly on the basis of merit and moral excellence.

Tyranny

The corrupted form of kingship and the worst form of government, characterized by violence, manipulation, and a lack of mutuality or respect.

Aristocracy

A just form of government where power is invested in a small group of people who possess moral excellence.

Oligarchy

The corrupted form of aristocracy where only the wealthy are given power regardless of merit.

Mixed Government (Democracy)

Also referred to as constitutional government or middle government, it is a mixture of democracy and oligarchy that Aristotle considers highly stable.

Democracy

The corrupted form of constitutional government, generally characterized by the poor or the majority having sovereign power.

Elements of a City

The functional stations within a city, including farmers, mechanics, merchants, laborers, military, the wealthy, and politicians.

Mechanics

Those occupied in various arts and crafts without which a city cannot be inhabited.

The Two Politically Decisive Groups

The rich and the poor, whose relationship and relative numbers often determine the city's constitution.

Middle Class

The third class of citizens forming the mean between the very rich and the very poor, essential for political stability in modern cities.

Sovereign

Having the final political say or ultimate authority within a government.

Leisure

The time required to devote oneself to ruling well and participating in political deliberations, often lacking in the laboring classes.

First Type of Democracy

The most generous form of democracy in terms of equality, typically found in small cities with a majority of poor farmers who make the law supreme because they lack leisure.

Second Type of Democracy

A form where offices are assigned based on a low or modest property qualification, allowing participants slightly more leisure to handle city needs.

Third Type of Democracy

A version that restricts political office to those of unimpeachable or irreproachable descent (bloodlines), but where the laws remain sovereign because citizens are still too busy to deliberate regularly.

Fourth Type of Democracy

Found in larger, more modern cities, it extends eligibility to all of free birth but relies on the rule of law because the population includes those with greater hardship and ignobility.

Fifth Type of Democracy

Considered extreme by Aristotle, it involves state payment for attendance in assembly/courts, allowing even the poor to have leisure and making the populace sovereign over the law.

Extreme Democracy

A form of government where eligibility is extended to those who have suffered too much to be reliable leaders, or characterized by the licentiousness of the populace.

Demagogue

An influential person who captivates the imagination of the civic body and poses the greatest threat to democracy by persuading the poor to mistreat the wealthy.

Most Feasible Constitution

A mixed constitution combining democracy with property qualification and education, which is most resilient against demagogues and factional disputes.