Despite much lofty rhetoric portraying the United States as a democracy, this nation has often resembled a plutocracy, in which the wealthy rule. The confusion owes a great deal to the fact that the United States, at its founding, was somewhat more democratic than its contemporaries. Another reason is that, over the course of its history, the country has gradually grown more democratic--although only by overcoming determined opposition from its traditional economic elites. The struggle between democracy and plutocracy continues today.