Wouldn't Equestria technically be an oligarchy?

[Random brony girl 13]

Since there are 4 rulers, and the definition of oligarchy is a handful of people are in power,wouldn't that make Equestria one?

[Page.Turner 940]

I don't know O: Because it seems Celestia and Luna are Princesses of the whole land of Equestria. Cadence only rules over the Crystal Empire and Twilight... doesn't rule anything just yet. XD

 

Also, in the episode where Twilight is supposed to perform for the delegates from Saddle Arabia? They were simply delegates O: not the actual rulers/princesses/princes etc. You can also look at Queen Chrysalis who ruled the changelings.

[Gay Bird 420]

You hit that nail in with one swing there buddy. It does seem like it was a dictatorship for a while when Luna was on the moon. Also, I don't believe the crystal empire is part of equestria from a governmental standpoint although it does have a magical effect.

Edited April 7, 2014 by DudeGuy676

[Page.Turner 940]

You hit that nail in with one swing there buddy. It does seem like it was a dictatorship for a while when Luna was on the moon. Also, I don't believe the crystal empire is part of equestria from a governmental standpoint although it does have a magical effect.

It couldn't have been a dictatorship because Celestia never opressed the ponies of Equestria. We also have no evidence to prove that Celestia rules without the consent of the ponies she governs. O:

[Gay Bird 420]

It couldn't have been a dictatorship because Celestia never opressed the ponies of Equestria. We also have no evidence to prove that Celestia rules without the consent of the ponies she governs. O:

Dictatorship doesn't mean the ruler is a dick. Voting and stuff was never suggested in the show but celestia does have time to teach magic so I guess a dictatorship is unlikely.

[Page.Turner 940]

Dictatorship doesn't mean the ruler is a dick. Voting and stuff was never suggested in the show but celestia does have time to teach magic so I guess a dictatorship is unlikely.

It kind of does now... XD;;; Dictatorship is governing people without their consent. It's basically the opposite of democracy. The person (or political party) who governs the land as a dictator has 100% say in what goes on. People are not given the option or allowed to vote on anything that happens to their country. They have no voices. The actual definition even states that the person (or persons) in charge excercise their power through oppressive mechanisms

[PsychedelicPony 440]

I don't think so, I think it's more of a monarchy with Celestia being "Queen," Luna being a "Princess," and Cadence and Twilight being "Duchesses" based on the level of power they hold in the entirety of Equestria.

[NovaCameron 13]

The word you are thinking of is Tetrarchy. The exact make up of the government is never explained. (But it's not an Oligarchy. An Oligarchy is a rule of groups, usually clans or famIlies)  But the Crystal Empire isn't a part of Equestria. It's more of a client state or a Dynastic Union. and Twilight doesn't rule anything.

 

 

What Equestria could be:

A Feudal Diarchy

An Absolute Diarchy

A Constitutional Diarchy

Or something only ponies can have

 

We don't know who holds legislative powers nor what means the Princesses enforce laws besides the Royal Guard. We don't know what the make up of Equestria's secondary divisions are or even the Tetrary ones. They could be Feudal Principalities/Duchies types, Democractic/Republic types, or Provences with very limited control. Even how many branches of government there are is unknown. What is the state of religion in Equestria? What is the relationship between Church and State? Do the Sisters have Religious as well as Secular roles? What is their judicial system like? Do they have a consitution or even a common law? We don't know enough to tell.

[Zoraxe 546]

From what is said 'The Journal of the two sisters' (which is canon), the princesses are more like guardians rather than 'rulers', although Celestia seems to have a lot of administration duty but that might be independent of of her Princess title. Also, there is (or was) a Unicorn King and that Celestia doesn't want to "step on anyponies hooves".

 

Anyways, Equestria seems to be a collection of sub-realms with each its own systems, the Crystal Empire is ruled by Cadance and Shining Armor, Manehatten doesn't seem to care about Royalty at all, so maybe a city-state Republic, Maretonia has a Duke and Duchess (which could mean the same thing as King and Queen depending on the political system, just like 'Prince' or Grand Prince' could mean the same thing as King in some countries). Celestia might even only directly rule Canterlot and is a figurehead everywhere ells in Equestria.

Edited January 23, 2015 by Zoraxe

[Nohbdy 4,108]

This thread appears to be discussing MLP:FiM in some way, shape or form. Thus, it has been sentenced to Show Discussion.

[skbl17 199]

In theory, Equestria is an oligarchy with some traits of a principality (namely, rule by princes or princesses). There are currently four princesses: Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Twilight Sparkle; as there are four "rulers", Equestria does, by definition, qualify as an oligarchy, which is defined as being "a type of power structure in which political power rests with a few people".

 

However, I think that in practice, Equestria is more of a co-principality. We only see Celestia and Luna wield any real political power within Equestria, Cadence has her own principality, and Twilight hasn't issued any decrees or held a royal court yet. However, I still have questions with regards to the sovereignty of some of these other lands. For instance, is the Crystal Empire part of Equestria or is it politically independent? What kind of political power, if any, will Twilight receive now that she has her own castle?

[sweetolebob18 724]

Based on what is seen in the cartoon episodes, IMO it is a Theocracy.  Ponies call on Celestia as a deity (or perhaps representing one, like Catholic saints)

 

In most of the fan fics I've read, it is most commonly a Constitutional Monarchy (like Great Britain in, say, the mid 18th century) with the Princesses' powers great but limited by law.  Ponyville has a mayor, although I can't recall her being elected

[Nature's Spell 526]

We've seen no evidence of a legislator or judicial branch and Trade Ya shows that the four princesses have a role in certain legal squabbles. We also know there is at least one mayor, but no sign of governors or county level officials. We also have no signs of religion or religious leaders beyond the Sisters perspective holidays. We also know that the unicorns were a hereditary kingdom, the pegesis a military junta, and the Earth ponies some kind chancellorship which implies an election.

Edited January 26, 2015 by Nature's Spell

[Red Cedar 1,407]

An oligarchy implies rulership by a group, but not necessarily a group that is determined by heredity. Equestria seems to be most definitely a Monarchy, or perhaps now (and formerly) a Diarchy as it seems to have two ruling Princesses of near equal power. (Luna seems to defer to her sister if only because she has a thousand years of ruling experience on her own to draw from.) Twilight and Cadance most definitely seem to hold a lower level of seniority, even if they're both still Princesses in rank.

 

I wouldn't go so far as to call it a dictatorship, if only because there are some pretty negative connotations associated with that word. While Celestia has been known to issue rule by decree, it seems that at the very least she listens to advice before deciding on an issue. Whether there's a parliament as well has yet to be seen, though.

 

Cadance's unique position as ruler of the Crystal Empire seems to mostly be a transitional thing for the benefit of its citizens. They saw her as a reborn Crystal Empress, offering a sense of stability and continuation with their old way of life after 1000 years in limbo. So while there's no doubt that the Empire has now been firmly annexed by Equestria (something they seemed to accept themselves by their hosting of the Equestria Games), a sense of continuity gives the ponies there the chance to see their emergence into this new world of a thousand years later with optimism, knowing their old home is still as it was, rather than with uncertainty and fear.

We've seen no evidence of a legislator or judicial branch and Trade Ya shows that the four princesses have a role in certain legal squabbles. We also know there is at least one mayor, but no sign of governors or county level officials. We also have no signs of religion or religious leaders beyond the Sisters perspective holidays. We also know that the unicorns were a hereditary kingdom, the pegesis a military junta, and the Earth ponies some kind chancellorship which implies an election.

There were a couple ponies speaking with Mayor Mare who looked to be distinctly judicial in their attire in the background while Pinkie Pie sang the Smile Song in A Friend In Deed. One of them even had a gavel as a cutie mark.

 

The pony conducting the funeral that Sweetie Belle crashed during her song in Hearts and Hooves Day was wearing an ecclesiastic collar.