I think the term started life in Russian (just before my time) before being translated directly into English. It's got little to do with Oligarchy in Plato's se

I think the term started life in Russian (just before my time) before being translated directly into English. It's got little to do with Oligarchy in Plato's sense, but it originated as a reference to it. Incidentally, the term Aristocracy is also used in a corrupted sense, but not in the context of Russia.