Get out your dictionaries, folks! It’s time to figure out what’s happening in the U.S. of A. In this listener-suggested episode of Civics, we look at -archies, -acracies, and -isms.

REFERENCES

Oligarchy:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oligarchy

Many of them had a council of elders:

Hodkinson, Stephen. “Gerousia.” December 22, 2015. Oxford Classical Dictionary. https://oxfordre.com/classics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-2832

For Aristotle in his Politics:

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Aristotle: Politics.” https://iep.utm.edu/aristotle-politics/

Aristocracy:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aristocracy

The Soviet Union after Stalin:

Little, Becky. “Soviet Union Leaders: A Timeline.” History.com https://www.history.com/articles/soviet-union-leaders-order

Totalitarian:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/totalitarian

You had the Politburo:

Editors of Encyclopedia Brittanica. “Politburo.” March 8, 2023. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Politburo

Khrushchev:

Gibney, Frank B. “Nikita Krushchev.” Updated October 27, 2025. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nikita-Sergeyevich-Khrushchev

The Cuban Missile Crisis:

Office of the Historian. “The Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1962.” https://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968/cuban-missile-crisis

Gerontocracy:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gerontocracy

In Ancient Rome, the Senate is derived from senex which means “old man”:

Merriam-Webster. “Senate: Word History.” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/senate#word-history

The song that Anne was attempting to sing:

https://youtu.be/ZKCiC-H2Xbg?si=bUP1DxKiJ4C0bIFv

We do have a bunch of old senators:

DeSilver, Drew. “Age and Generation in the 119th Congress: Somewhat Younger, With Fewer Boomers and more Gen Xers.” January 16, 2025. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/01/16/age-and-generation-in-the-119th-congress-somewhat-younger-with-fewer-boomers-and-more-gen-xers/

Senators were originally appointed by the state legislatures:

National Archives. “17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913).” Reviewed February 8, 2022. https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/17th-amendment

Project 2025, they are substantially entrenched in the White House right now:

Wardwell, Faith. “The Key Project 2025 Authors Now Staffing the Trump Administration.” March 12, 2025. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/key-project-2025-authors-now-staffing-trump-administration-rcna195107

Sending troops into cities:

Reuters. “Trump Tells U.S. Troops He is Ready to Send ‘More Than the National Guard’ Into Cities.” October 28, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-tells-us-troops-he-is-ready-send-more-than-national-guard-into-cities-2025-10-28/

Sparta was an example of an oligarchy because the ephors were the ones that really had the power:

Editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica. “Ephor.” December 18, 2011. https://www.britannica.com/topic/ephor

Anarchy:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anarchy

Monarchy:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monarchy

What Plato described in the Republic as a philosopher king:

Lane, Melissa. “Philosopher King.” February 5, 2024. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/philosopher-king

Tyrant:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tyrant

Franklin Roosevelt:

The White House. “Franklin D. Roosevelt.” https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/franklin-d-roosevelt/

With almost 25% unemployment:

Romer, Christina D. and Pells, Richard H. “Great Depression.” Updated October 26, 2025. Brittanica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Great-Depression

And the Dust Bowl:

Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. “Dust Bowl.” Updated October 2, 2025. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Dust-Bowl

The first 100 days where a lot of legislation gets passed:

Freidel, Frank. “The First Term of Franklin D. Roosevelt.” Updated October 31, 2025. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Franklin-D-Roosevelt/The-first-term

Lincoln:

The White House. “Abraham Lincoln.” https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/abraham-lincoln/

But Lincoln had a nation-wide insurrection going on:

Weber, Jennifer L. and Hassler, Warren W. “American Civil War.” Updated October 12, 2025. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Civil-War

Populist:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/populist

Tariffs are not helping the economy:

Clarke, Jennifer. “What Tariffs has Trump Announced and Why?” October 30, 2025. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn93e12rypgo

Autocracy:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autocracy

Even in Britain…:

Kellner, Peter and Harford Thomas, William. “England: Government and Society.” Updated November 1, 2025. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/England/Government-and-society

Republic:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/republic

Since the Magna Carta days:

Stenton, Doris Mary. “Magna Carta.” Updated October 2, 2025. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Magna-Carta

Well, there’s reasons why the civil wars happened:

Ohlmeyer, Jane H. “English Civil Wars.” Updated September 30, 2025. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/English-Civil-Wars

If you look at the South, antebellum, the planter class:

National Geographic. “The Plantation System.” Updated January 22, 2025. https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/plantation-system/

Plutocracy:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plutocracy

Disney hounds:

Disneyclips. “The Definitive Disney Dogs List.” Updated May 1, 2024. https://www.disneyclips.com/funstuff/disney-dog-names.html

The Underworld:

Van de Kerkhof, Maup. “Pluto: The Roman God of the Underworld.” March 24, 2025. History Cooperative. https://historycooperative.org/pluto-god/

The etymology of plutocracy:

Merriam-Webster. “Plutocracy: Word History.” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plutocracy#word-history

Some of the attendees at the swearing in ceremony:

Swenson, Ali. “Trump, A Populist President, is Flanked by Tech Billionaires at His Inauguration.” January 20, 2025. AP News. https:/...