oligarchy
\Ol"i*gar"chy\, n.; pl. Oligarchies. [Gr. ?; ? few, little + ? to rule, govern: cf.F. oligarchie.] A form of government in which the supreme power is placed in the hands of a few persons; also, those who form the ruling few.
All oligarchies, wherein a few men domineer, do what they list. --Burton.