Aristotle's Political Systems

Aristotle  doesn’t need an introduction, as well as his views on political systems . He sees three true constitutions (royalty, aristocracy, and polity) and corresponding perverted constitutions (tyranny, oligarchy, and democracy). Wikipedia has a very helpful figure:

Please note, that democracy is used differently as we use it today. But maybe, it is a good call to look slightly deeper into the current meaning as it seems that we would like to have, what he calls polity. Quick definitions of the systems:

• Monarchy – Rule by a single virtuous person who governs in the interest of all citizens.
• Aristocracy – Rule by a small group of the most virtuous and capable individuals for the benefit of the whole community.
• Polity – Rule by the many (middle class) through constitutional government, balancing different interests for the common good.
• Tyranny – Rule by a single person who governs solely for personal benefit, often through oppression and force.
• Oligarchy – Rule by a small group of wealthy individuals who govern primarily to protect and increase their own riches.
• Democracy – Rule by the poor masses who govern in their own factional interest, potentially oppressing the wealthy minority.

The actual reason for this post follows. I wanted to quickly visualize the transitions among these states and ended up with the following diagram:

graph TD
    %% Correct Forms (in green)
    M[Monarchy
Rule by One
for Common Good]
    A[Aristocracy
Rule by Few
Virtuous for Common Good]
    P[Polity/Constitutional Government
Rule by Many
for Common Good]

    %% Deviant Forms (in red)
    T[Tyranny
Rule by One
for Self-Interest]
    O[Oligarchy
Rule by Few Rich
for Self-Interest]
    D[Democracy
Rule by Many Poor
for Self-Interest]

    %% Transitions - Corruption of Correct Forms
    M -->|Corruption of Power
Loss of Virtue| T
    A -->|Pursuit of Wealth
Loss of Virtue| O
    P -->|Mob Rule
Factional Interest| D

    %% Cyclical Transitions - Deviant Forms
    T -->|Popular Uprising
Against Oppression| D
    D -->|Chaos & Instability
Need for Order| O
    O -->|Concentration of Power
Elimination of Rivals| T

    %% Potential Restorative Transitions (dotted lines)
    T -.->|Moral Reform
Virtuous Leadership| M
    O -.->|Return to Virtue
Service to Common Good| A
    D -.->|Constitutional Framework
Rule of Law| P

    %% Mixed Constitution (Aristotle's Ideal)
    MC[Mixed Constitution/Polity
Combines elements of
Democracy & Oligarchy
Most Stable Form]

    P --> MC
    D -.-> MC
    O -.-> MC

    %% Styling
    classDef correct fill:#d4edda,stroke:#155724,stroke-width:2px
    classDef deviant fill:#f8d7da,stroke:#721c24,stroke-width:2px
    classDef mixed fill:#fff3cd,stroke:#856404,stroke-width:3px

    class M,A,P correct
    class T,O,D deviant
    class MC mixed

There is a seventh constitution, which Aristotle described as the most stable one. A balanced system of government that combines democratic and oligarchic elements to create stability. It incorporates both popular participation (from democracy) and wealth/property considerations (from oligarchy), typically resulting in rule by the middle class.

This system prevents the extremes of both pure democracy (mob rule by the poor) and pure oligarchy (domination by the wealthy few) by ensuring that neither the very poor nor the very rich can completely control the government. The middle class serves as a stabilizing force because they have enough property to be invested in order but aren’t so wealthy as to be disconnected from common concerns.

Aristotle considered this the most practical and durable form of government because it balances competing interests, reduces factional conflict, and creates a broad base of citizens with a stake in maintaining the system. It’s constitutional in nature, operating through established laws rather than arbitrary rule, and represents his realistic ideal for achieving long-term political stability.

It resonates with how we believe democracy should function today. But we must ask ourselves: is our democracy actually approaching this ideal?