Oligarchy? What's In a Name

Biden's Exit; Trump's Return

President Biden gave a significant farewell address. He reminded us as Americans that we all must be “keepers of the flame.” He warned us of many things, including the problem that “truth is being smothered by lies“ in our culture and media environment. Most of all, Biden warned of a technocratic billionaire oligarchy that endangers America. After hearing the press media fumble the meaning of this word, I also saw that many people are not sure what oligarchy means. What does oligarchy mean and how do we fight against it if we believe in democracy?

Basically, oligarchy refers to a nation governed by a small number of people, a cabal of elites, who serve their own needs and purposes—but in modern politics, an oligarchy takes on new meaning.

In ancient Athens (404-403 BCE), after losing the Peloponnesian War to Sparta (which lasted nearly 30 years), the Spartans imposed an oligarchy of 30 Tyrants led by a man named Critias. Extremely violent and conservative, they attempted to dismantle the Athenian democratic tradition which was already in tatters after years of war. Although short-lived, the model for what we know of oligarchy was set and still today seems pretty standard. A small group of self-serving, anti-democratic elites are placed into power, or through a variety of means hold power, over a society. In political systems that were previously democratic, this process can be piece-meal—but has certain consistent charcateristics.

Oligarchy opposes all the basic values of democratic liberalism: representative government, rule of law, free and fair elections, diversity, free press, independent judiciary, civilian authority over police and military, religious freedom, social and political equality, and (oddly enough) free markets. Oligarchy always reflects the power and interests of a select few—a minority—and ignores the dreams and needs of the nation, the public good and civil liberties. In modern times, democracies have tended to be more resilient than dictatorships—suprising given their fragility—because most authoritarian regimes are ultra-violent, wasteful, incompetent and corrupt. This leads to shorter lives, comparatively, and this is one of the many reasons why democracy is truly the superior model. Democracies last longer and reflect the needs of the people. All the same, oligarchs are nothing new, and always dangerous to common decency and human freedom.

Democracy is remarkably easy to describe—while in the 20th and 21st centuries, authoritarianism has become remarkably innovative and varied in style and structure. All modern political systems claim to rule in the name of the people—for good reasons. Imagine the following regimes by their names:

People’s Republic of China; German Democratic Republic (East Germany); Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Second Republic of Uganda (Idi Amin); Republic of Cuba; and on and on. All of the East European socialist republics including the USSR claimed to be democratic republics, with legislatures. Most military juntas govern with a veneer of democratic institutions in our times. The Fascist regimes in Germany and Italy claimed to rule in the name of the people. Claims aside, the truth is that the 20th century was littered with brutal dictatorships of all sorts. For example:

Note the many styles of regimes possible. Democracies come largely in two types —with, of course, national variations. By contrast, dictatorships are structured in many ways and come in many forms:

In our particular moment we will be able to see the shape of the oligarchy at Trump’s Inauguration. Billionaires and wealthy sychophants will be arrayed as part of a new elite, corporate class. America is evolving a form of plutocratic oligarchy that we sleep walked into in the last decades. Our media and commercial cultures have made this possible, along with the underlying diseases of monoply capitalism, racism and misogyny. America’s deeper desire for a multiracial and diverse democracy that operates as a beacon to the world as described by President Biden in his farewell reference to the Statue of Liberty is time and again blocked. A multiracial democracy is tragically barred by the toxic residues of the great replacement theory and the false fear that undeserving others are taking away the privileges of the White, Christian legacy Americans who are the core of the “natural oligarchy” of America. All false. In fact, everyday folks like these become the dupes for a billionaire class who care little for the heart and soul of America.

Emma Lazarus wrote this in 1883:

“Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

These words I have selected from the famous poem that lies near the feet of the Statue of Liberty to highlight the values we aspire to be. Emma Lazarus was a young Jewish woman who had a dream of America—and it has become the dream we believe of ourselves, but remains unfulfilled. If we do not fight back against the coming oligarchy, this dream will mock Americans into the end of the next century or as long as the country survives. Oligarchy serves only the narrow purposes of elites and to do this it must defeat all that we truly hold close in our values. What do we do as this oligarchy is now becoming ready to ascend to power in America?

We must embrace the image of the Mother of Exiles. Lazarus believed in an America that truly was great—and was a beacon to the world. We were on the verge of doing that and the election of Kamala Harris would have brought us closer. Trump wants to destroy that possibility. Sneaking billionaires into government offices and leadership is exactly what happens when you become an oligarchic dictatorship. Putin did this in Russia. Orban in Hungary. Everywhere there is strongman rule, you will see oligarchic elites seeking to profit, or hoping to avoid punishment by the “Big Man.” Whether it is Musk, Zuckerberg or Ramaswamy does not matter. They are antidemocratic oligarchs. They despise our hopes for freedom.

We must first believe that the Inauguration of Trump is the first day of the fight to defend democracy. Second, we must run for offices locally to defend our institutions, Three, we must quietly and tenaciously defend the truth whenever possible, because oligarchy despises science, data and facts. Why? Because it is inconvenient to their purposes. Fourth, we must join together with others who share our views and make sure that people hear us. You must be heard. Finally, stay engaged to fight for the midterm elections—not so far away. The next 100 days or more are going to be nasty. We must laugh, love, and fight back if we want to live in freedom—and also—a green and sustainable future. Enjoy a song. I think it is right for the time.