Kleptocracy or Oligarchy — What Is the Difference?

Short Answer

In the secondary literature on Russia, oligarchy (1990s sense) implied relatively autonomous business power that could bargain with the political centre. Kleptocracy (post-2000 sense) and the related term kremligarchs describe a system in which major business wealth and personal security are contingent on demonstrated loyalty to the apex (vertical of power / Uber Krysha).

Slightly Longer Answer

Dawisha (2014) and subsequent analyses document a shift after 2000: independent oligarchs were subordinated or displaced; the remaining major business actors function as economic agents of the regime. Calling the contemporary pattern a simple “oligarchy” obscures this contingency. The site therefore uses kleptocracy for the system-level pattern and kremligarchs for the contingent business elite.

Full comparative table and caveats: Kleptocracy vs Oligarchy.

See Also

• Glossary: Kleptocracy
• Glossary: Kremligarchs
• Mechanism: Kleptocratic Extraction
• Thesis 1