dramatically reducing the power of aristocrats in all major countries. In Russia, aristocrats were imprisoned and murdered by the communists. After 1900, liberal and socialist governments levied heavy taxes on landowners, spelling their loss of economic power. See also Elitism Gentry Nobility Old money Timocracy Tyranny References Further reading Bengtsson, Erik, et al. "Aristocratic wealth and inequality in a changing society: Sweden, 1750–1900." Scandinavian Journal of History 44.1 (2019): 27–52. Online Cannon, John. History, Oxford University Press, 1997, Liu, Jia. "Study on the Decline of the British Aristocracy from the Perspective of Modernization." 2018 4th International Conference on Economics, Management and Humanities Science (2018). Online Schutte, Kimberly. Women, Rank, and Marriage in the British Aristocracy, 1485-2000: An Open Elite? (Springer, 2014). Wasson, Ellis. Aristocracy in the Modern World, Palgrave Macmillan, 2006. External links Aristocracy at Encyclopedia Britannica Ancient Greek government Oligarchy Social classes Social groups