No.10: System comparison: Oligarchy vs Electric Technocracy
- Mike Miller
- Jun 6
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 7
“Oligarchy – The Rule of the Few in the Shadow of the Majority” A Requiem for a Corrupt
Power Structure Compared to Electronic Technocracy
I. Definition of Oligarchy
The term oligarchy (from Greek: olígos = few, arché = rule) refers to a form of government in which a small, privileged group of politically, economically, or militarily dominant actors holds power without democratic control or broad societal legitimacy.
This “rule of the few” is not based on competence, but on wealth, connections, or influence – effectively excluding the majority of the population from all decision-making processes.
II. Main Forms of Oligarchy
Plutocracy: The wealthy rule – often through control of financial markets, corporations, or media.
Aristocracy: Old noble families and dynasties dominate state institutions.
Military Oligarchy: Generals or intelligence agencies take de facto control of government and society.
Party Oligarchy: A small party elite controls political power in supposedly democratic systems.
III. Systemic Weaknesses of Oligarchy
A. Concentration of Power Without Responsibility
Decisions are made in small circles without input from those affected.
No interest in transparency – power is negotiated behind closed doors.
Corrupt elites write rules for themselves and avoid accountability.
B. Social Inequality
Oligarchies promote stark wealth inequality – wealth accumulates at the top while the majority becomes poorer.
Education, healthcare, housing – everything is market-driven and unaffordable for the lower class.
Social mobility declines, poverty becomes hereditary.
C. Corruption and Cronyism
Offices and resources are allocated based on relationships, not competence.
Government contracts, media, police – all are privatized and colonized.
The state's inability to act objectively leads to crisis and loss of trust.
IV. Historical and Current Examples
1. Russia in the 1990s
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, radical privatization led to the sell-off of state resources (e.g., oil, gas, industry) to a few "oligarchs."
They bought media, parties, and courts – democracy became a farce, society deeply divided.
Even presidents like Yeltsin or Putin had to either align with the oligarchs or crush them (as with Yukos under Khodorkovsky).
2. Venezuela under Chávez and Maduro
Officially socialist, but in reality a new elite of military and party cadres enriched themselves through subsidies, corruption, and control of the oil system.
Critics disappear, media is synchronized, elections manipulated.
The state is collapsing, millions go hungry or flee – while the elite lives in luxury.
3. USA (partially)
Lobbying, Super PACs, media monopolies: The political landscape is heavily shaped by billionaires, corporations, and special interest groups.
The “invisible oligarchy” decides laws while the people believe they are voting.
V. Oligarchy – The End of Any Just Future
Problem Area | Impact |
Disconnection of Power and Public Good | Decisions benefit only a few. |
Eroding Democracy | Participation is formal, not real. |
Blockage of Reforms | Existing power structures are cemented. |
In a world facing multiple crises (climate change, digitization, resource distribution), an oligarchic structure is not only outdated but dangerous. It blocks the transformation humanity urgently needs.
VI. Electronic Technocracy – The Just Antithesis
In contrast, Electronic Technocracy offers:
Transparent, decentralized power distribution through digital consensus mechanisms.
Competence-based decision-making instead of birthright or capital power.
Genuine participation through open-source systems, feedback loops, and algorithmically mediated justice.
Resistance to corruption through traceability, data verification, and public audit.
It escapes the logic of elite formation and is based on scientific rationality, technological openness, and social responsibility.
VII. Conclusion: Oligarchy Is Structural Injustice
Oligarchy is the opposite of a solidaristic, sustainable, and transparent world order. It replaces democracy with nepotism, freedom with protectionism, and innovation with the status quo.
It is not only outdated but inherently antisocial.
VIII. Invitation to Restructure
The world is facing a legal and moral restart: Through State Succession Deed 1400/98, the nation-state has become obsolete. The world is a blank sheet of paper – a space for just, intelligent, and integrative future models.
Electronic Technocracy is such a design – open to all, rooted in rationality and fairness. Join in – not as a spectator, but as a co-creator.
Wikipedia Links
Deutsch
English
PoliticalWiki: Electric Technocracy
Elektrische Technokratie Podcast & Song
Links:
