In a plutocracy the people hold a check over the government because they can always overthrow it of they are unhappy enough. The rich and powerful will usually be the ones that country a government and they are always at risk of an overthrow, which is why a dictatorship usually ends in an overthrow at some point.Įven though a plutocracy may seem like a bad thing, what it really comes down to is whether the government has an appropriate measure of checks and balances. That is why checks and balances are so important and are the hallmark of any good form of government.Īugust 19, - You are correct in your assumption of many countries being plutocratic in a sense. In reality plutocracies can work as a form of government, as long as there are checks that occur on the government.Īnytime a government starts to abuse their power and oppress the people that is when revolution can occur. Although Hitler was an evil dictator he was able to use the perception of plutocracies as being a bad form of government to help push a point to his people that he could lead. During WWII Hitler would continually criticize the United States and England for being plutocracies and oppressing their people. I agree that many countries are plutocratic in a sense. Thankfully, things did change over the years, with the emergence of a strong middle class. Some of the most wealthy are not necessarily in government positions, but are the wealthy business owners, who greatly influence government decisions with lobbying and "little deals."Įven in the beginnings of America's democracy, the leaders were wealthy and exerted their power over the "others", who were mostly lower class and uneducated. In my opinion, many of the modern day democracies have plutocratic elements to them. Governments tend to not stay stable indefinitely. But now in some countries, this balance is shaky, the middle class are having to give up rights and powers that they used to have. So the middle class continued to grow and their power provided "checks and balances" to the dominance of the rich. strong unions were formed to get benefits for workers, education opportunities, World War II gave a burst of new homes and babies. The causes are many - industrialization, higher pay. It's amazing to me how quicky a large middle class emerged in this country, giving political and economic power to so many people and really influencing our society. But if various plutocrats continue to rule in the same manner, it can lead to demonstrations which can lead to coup d'etats, as happened in many African states during the post colonial period. In a democratic state, revolution might not be the alternative to remove plutocrats from power because there will not be enough reason for it because leaders can be changed through elections. A weak middle class usually does not have the intellectual capabilities to question and critically analyze the action of the plutocrats. But with a strong middle class, it can work properly. Plutocracy exists everywhere in the world, no matter the system of governance. Direct democracy does not allow a hard nucleus of civil and political liberties to exist for long. And too often it is used as an excuse to violate people's natural rights. On direct democracy: this is not a functional system because it lends itself to an oligarchy who promises to deliver redistribution. What we need is a separation of state and the economy, which allows the power to be diluted and forces the plutocrats to compete to keep their advantage - something that benefits the more nimble and creative minds. So the wealthy elites seize control of the legislature in this system and use the bureaucrats as their minions to advance their own economic position. Wealthy people know that one anonymous bureaucrat often wields infinitely more power than a tycoon in a system where that bureaucrat can coerce human behavior. The challenge is also in a mixed system where the levers of political power control economic power, it lends itself to a plutocracy.
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