The Decline of Political Regimes

In The Republic, Plato describes how each type of city—or regime—gradually decays into the

next, reflecting a moral decline in its citizens. The ideal aristocracy, ruled by reason

and wisdom, eventually becomes a timocracy when the guardians begin to value honor and

military success over virtue. This honor-loving city then devolves into an oligarchy,

where love of wealth replaces love of honor, and the rich rule while the poor are

excluded from power. The inequality and greed in oligarchy lead to class conflict, producing democracy,

a city valuing freedom and equality above all. However, excessive freedom

and lack of order allow selfish desires to dominate, paving the way for tyranny.