Hello! Hello! Hello! Welcome to episode XX of We Don’t Talk About P-word!

Today we are going to talk about governments. All too often, I see and hear uninformed people, both across the internet and in conversations. They scream, “Communism this. Socialism that." What I have found is that most people have no idea  what either of those governments are. Also, other countries have espoused propaganda and convinced us they embody these ideologies. Most of the time they aren’t even close. 

Today I want to explain a few different types of governments. A few we will hit on briefly, and a couple we will discuss a little more in depth. We'll also talk about some of the countries that claim them. On the agenda are, of course, the big two most misunderstood, communism and socialism. We will also discuss plutocracies, oligarchies, and theocracies. We will begin with a quick discussion of democracy, republicanism, and confederations.

Before we get started though, I want to caution you that this discussion won’t be all-encompassing. It would take an entire episode (or more), for each to be that detailed. It would be dry and even more academic than usual. As always, it is my goal to make these concepts easier to understand, so I’m going to keep it brief. If you find yourself intrigued, there is always more to research and understand. 

So with that warning out of the way, let’s start with what should be the easiest one to understand: democracy. 

Many of you are saying, “Duh… this is us.” You would be wrong, or at least not completely right. Our government has its roots in democracy, but it is not a pure democracy. True democracy is much more complicated. It’s harder to govern the bigger it gets, and it requires the People to be much more hands-on.

At its very basic definition, democracy is 'Rule by the People.' On the surface, that would make it seem as though the United States is a democracy. But a true democracy takes rule by the People to the extreme. The expectation is for the People to vote and decide everything. Every little detail of government would need a vote before anything could happen. If you think current bureaucratic red tape is bad, it would be nothing in comparison. Imagine if you had to set up a nationwide vote every time a new bill came up in Congress. This makes larger nations impossible to govern by true democracy. It also wouldn’t work very well in a nation with low voter turnout.

The city-state of Athens in Greece may not have been the first, but it has the most surviving evidence. The citizens of Athens would gather in assembly and decide legislative matters. Administrative and judicial positions were appointed by random selection. Athenian true democracy came to an end after they were conquered by the Macedonians. Its memory lives on today as the inspiration for American democracy.

That leads me to what American democracy is. American democracy is an amalgamation of three  different forms of government. It includes rule by the people of Athenian democracy. It incorporates elected representatives of the Roman republic. Lastly, it is based on the confederation of the Indigenous tribes of early New England.
A Republic is a democratic form of government where the People delegate their power. They popularly elect the head of state and legislators. These elected representatives then administer the power of the People. There is no hereditary monarch, and the system usually includes checks on power. Unfortunately, many nations use the word republic in their name as propaganda. They believe it provides them legitimacy. When you look at their actions, they are more autocratic than democratic.

A confederation is a loose alliance among states of equal power. A confederacy has no supreme governing body. The alliances of the Indigenous tribes in New England were an example of this. They inspired the federalist system of the US government. In federalism each state maintains limited sovereignty but is beholden to a federal government. The weakness of a pure confederacy is competing interests. They can lead to the breakdown of the alliance. We saw this among the Indigenous tribes, as some wanted to fight and others didn’t. Separate, they were not strong enough to resist the colonizers. We saw it again in the early government of the United States where the states remained sovereign. We also saw this during the Civil War. The Confederate government was both weak and ineffective. 

A democratic republic is a nation that combines the best aspects of all three. It is subordinate to the People, as in a democracy. The People delegate their power to representatives, as in a republic. The states maintain limited sovereignty, as in a confederacy. The United States isn’t a true democracy, but a democratic republic. The difference is subtle but important. 

The problem with a democratic republic is that it requires activism. Democracy requires the People to maintain its tenets that espouse a nation of, by, and for the People. When the People become apathetic or cast uninformed votes, democracy begins to fade . When we don’t protect the government from monied interests, democracy begins to fade. A democracy requires the People to protect it. Unfortunately, people have little interest in doing more than required to survive .

Now that we know what the United States is let’s transition to what we are allowing it to become. If we aren’t careful, we will lose our Republic and slide into a plutocracy.
A plutocracy is an illegitimate form of government. It centers around the wealthy of the nation. I call it illegitimate because it has no basis in historical political philosophy . It doesn’t consider politics, liberty, rights, justice, or even law. The wealthy maintain power because of their wealth alone. The most famous examples are the Italian city-states. During the Renaissance these were controlled by local merchants. 

One could argue that the United States was a victim of plutocracy following the Civil War. That was until the Great Depression brought it tumbling down. (We will discuss this in more depth in another episode coming soon.) Today, one might view our nation as a plutocracy with democratic aspects. A plutocracy is dangerous. It can creep into legitimate governments and take power before you realize it. In a nation that only values money, the power can be captured by the wealthy. We see this every election cycle in the United States, as money determines ballot access. We see this as lobbying and campaign contributions delegating what's important to politicians. We see this as our government cedes more and more of the People’s power to corporations.

A true plutocracy is rare. It is usually seen in the form of an oligarchy, which is rule by a small group of people. A true oligarchy is a small group often with no distinguishing characteristics . They aren’t necessarily wealthy, famous, or from the military. They may also be religious in nature. But in modern history, they are more found in the plutocratic minded. This type of government is usually headed by an authoritarian type of leader. This leader controls the power of the government, and who gets the money. Oligarchies are often based on rewards for loyalty . Corporations are set up with an oligarchical type of hierarchy.

The best-known example is the Russian Federation. Here, Vladimir Putin is the autocratic leader propped up by wealthy oligarchs. In theory, he holds little wealth. In practice, he controls all the wealth through thuglike police and military force. 

Like its plutocratic ties, you can see a burgeoning oligarchy in the United States. In the second quarter of 2022, 31% of all wealth was held by the top 1% of earners. That means people making $800K plus control more than 30% of all the wealth in the country. Those making $170K plus control 64% of all wealth in the United State. The bottom 50% of earners own only 3% of the wealth in America. That’s Americans making less than $50K a year. In a nation where money determines politics, a plutocracy is emerging. When so few control that wealth, an oligarchy isn't far behind. It's not long before you have a plutocratic oligarchy or corporatocracy seizing power. 

A corporatocracy is a more accurate depiction of the direction of our government. Plutocracies and oligarchies are both aspects of corporatocracy. A corporatocracy is an amalgam of the two , creating rule by corporations. This is a government where corporate interests are more important than the People's. Money drives policy and legislation. The only legislation passed is legislation corporations’ support. This is a state we are dangerously close to succumbing to.

A theocracy is a unique form of government in which a nation recognizes a deity (or deities) as the supreme ruler. The deity provides guidance to a human leader. Some may even believe that their leader is a human incarnation of a deity. The problem with theocracies is that they are based on beliefs. Beliefs are personal, and as such cannot be forced. Since the head of the government is the arbiter of the religion, they must not be questioned. This often leads to theocracies being oppressive and authoritarian. 

Today, the most well-known theocracies are the Holy See  and Iran. Other modern theocracies include Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Israel. I would consider North Korea more of a cult of personality turned quasi-religion . It's not a true theocracy.

For the rest of today’s episode, I want to focus on the two most misunderstood forms of government. These have been the subjects of propaganda since their start. The propaganda has both demonized and praised  these governments. The fact is that most people don’t understand either of them. The truth about these systems lies somewhere between the propaganda. The two are often conflated, but they have distinct differences. 

We will begin with communism . 

Communism is a political theory based on the idea that there should be no private ownership. This ensures equality among all citizens. All property is communally owned, and the government controls all means of production. The state then provides all necessities for its citizens. 

As political theories go, communism is new . It is based on a theory by German philosopher Karl Marx. The Industrial Revolution caused an upheaval in the working class. As industrialists grew wealthier and wealthier, the working class got poorer and poorer. Marx’s response to this was The Communist Manifesto in 1848. Here, he argues that history is mired in class struggles. He believed that it was inevitable for the proletariat (working class) to revolt. This uprising would end the capital class. By his definition, revolution is necessary to birth communism. The working class rises up to overthrow the upper class. 

According to Marx, the cycle of communism comes in waves. First, the proletariat rises up and takes over the means of production. Second, the proletariat dismantles the bourgeois state and establishes a dictatorship. The purpose of this dictatorship is to undo the capitalist system. The last wave is the true democratic state of communism, based on universal suffrage. Most nations claiming to be communist get stuck on the second part and never move on. 

Marx hits on some important points in his theory. One is how industrialization weakened the working class. They were now forced to sell their labor instead of owning it.

Consider the blacksmith. Technology made the blacksmith's local forge obsolete. He can no longer afford to own his own smithy, so his only option is to sell his labor to the owners of the machinery. He no longer needed his shop, so he sells it, most likely to an industrialist. Industrialists accumulate money and property from this blacksmith and others in similar situations. Meanwhile, they pay low wages, making profit on the fruits of the blacksmith’s labor. The blacksmith is now a laborer instead of a proprietor. The industrialist is on his way to great wealth, not because of any skill but because of his investments. 

Marx highlights concerns still facing us today. The People suffer from the consolidation of wealth. Wealth becoming the most important aspect of politics removes the People's voice. But the naivety of his theory is clear. He expects a transition from dictatorship to democracy. Lord Acton expressed why this is naïve in 1887. He wrote to Bishop Creighton saying: “…absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Nothing could be truer when it comes to communism. Humans are fallible creatures , and they don’t give up power readily. Even those with the best of intentions can, and eventually do, succumb to corruption.

Vladimir Lenin set the Marxist theory into practice. He led a revolution  in Russia to institute communism. Lenin also expanded on Marx’s theory. The difference between the two thoughts on communism was what Lenin called vanguardism. Vanguardism elevated the most class-conscious and political to positions of leadership. This vanguard was also tasked with educating the masses  on these matters. All it did was replace one aristocracy with another. 

Stalin further corrupted Marx’s theory by elevating a single party to power in Russia. This contradicted the true democracy communism was designed to achieve. Mao Zedong brought communism to China. He expanded the revolutionaries to include the peasantry as well as the proletariat. 

There are several so-called communist states  in existence today. China, Cuba, and North Korea are a few. The truth is that there has never been a communist state in more than name. These states control all aspects of economics and politics. That gives them a claim to the communist theory. Yet, none of them have achieved the elimination of personal property or a class system. The allure of autocracy is too much to make that last transition.

On the surface, communism sounds like an idealistic system of government. The People are all equal and the government provides. But that is the biggest problem with the communist theory; it is only good in theory. It fails to consider the variable of human influence. In practice, a state will never transition into that last phase of true communism. Even if one leader can achieve it, a future leader will be corrupted. Human nature, without checks and balances, is to accumulate power and be reluctant to give it up. 

Lastly, I want to discuss socialism. I left this one for last because this is the least understood political theory. Like every other theory, socialism has its faults. But it is a victim of propaganda in much the same way as communism. Again, the truth lies somewhere in the middle  between demonization and praise.

Socialism is the belief that property and natural resources belong to the community. It posits that the means of production should be owned by the public rather than privately. It differs from Marx’s theory in that it still allows for some private ownership.  Communism is based on socialism, so they share many characteristics.

Socialism is also a newer political ideology. It was brought on by the inequities of the industrial revolution. The worker relied on to create the product was being pushed out of the equation in profit and ownership. The industrial revolution made capital and property more important than the worker. The industrialist got rich from the labor of the working class. The laborer slipped deeper and deeper into poverty. Socialism was hypothesized as the answer to the exploitation of the working class. That exploitation is still occurring today. 

The communist theory states that there can be no capitalism for the working class to thrive. Socialism attempts to work with capitalism to make everyone thrive. Or more succinctly put by Marx himself:

Communism:

“…from each according to his ability, to each according to his need”
Contrary to…

Socialism:

“…from each according to his ability, to each according to his contribution”

The same problems that communism has also affect socialism. It ignores human nature. Both seem ideal on paper . Everyone is equal; everyone is provided for. But, without a strong foundation in democracy, both are doomed to fail. Without the oversight of the People, they will always fall to strongmen. 

That is one of the reasons socialism is often conflated with fascism. Another is that socialism is often synonymous with nationalism, which promotes racism. The most prominent reason, like so much in our world today, is because of propaganda. Hitler knew how to use words and imagery to his benefit. He did this with the Nazi party or the Nationalist Socialist German Worker’s Party. You could argue (accurately) that they perverted the socialist agenda from their founding. But that’s a subject for someone else’s podcast. 

Hitler was determined to gain power at all costs, and he recognized the Nazi party as his vehicle. Rather than embrace socialism or the working class, he manipulated and exploited them. He turned the nationalist worker's party into an ultra-right-wing conservative party. They embraced his industrialist and racist anti-Semitic agenda. Once in power, he imprisoned political opponents such as liberals, socialists, and communists. 

He perverted a leftwing political ideology. He took a social movement based on workers’ rights and turned it into a far-right fascist party. This party embraced monied interests, autocratic leadership, and racial superiority. 

This forever linked the two ideologies, even though they are on opposite ends of the spectrum. No matter how unfair the link is, those who wish to denigrate socialism perpetuate it to this day. 

Another “socialist” nation that is often held up as a bad example is Venezuela. Again, it is a product of propaganda. Venezuela elected Hugo Chavez (a previous perpetrator of an attempted coup) as President. What may have begun as a socialist movement devolved fast. It quickly fell sway to an authoritarian leader. Venezuela relied on exports of oil for the basis of its economy. At a state-run oil company, Chavez replaced many of the leaders with inept sycophants. This continued throughout other nationalized industries and more seized by the Chavez regime.

Reliance on a single export doomed this government from the start. The volatility of the price of oil makes it impossible to predict, let alone count on. It is not an effective basis for any economy, socialist or otherwise. When the money stops coming in, social programs are impossible to maintain. Without social programs, the People suffer. As Chavez consolidated power, the people suffered. To counter this, he embraced other authoritarian nations like Russia, China, and Cuba. They helped him maintain power until death. After his death, his successor, Nicolas Maduro, continued his strongman ways. 

The situation in Venezuela reached a boiling point in 2018. Election controversies and political fighting have plunged the nation into crisis. Of course, it is the People that continue to suffer.

Venezuela was never a socialist nation. It was a victim. A victim of another strongman perverting socialism. Perverting socialism to gain authoritarian power. 

Like communism, no nation has achieved pure socialism in the world. Unlike communism, some nations have integrated socialist programs without becoming authoritarian. Countries like Norway, Sweden, and Denmark embrace a form of Democratic Socialism. This includes universal welfare, free education, and institutionalized labor negotiations. They have created a symbiotic relationship between capitalism and socialist programs.

Even the United States has enacted policies that are socialist in nature. These include Medicare and Social Security. Our biggest social program since FDR’s New Deal occurred in 2008. This program wasn’t to help the People it was when our government gave $700 million in welfare to our nation’s banks. A socialist program that was necessary to save banks from their own bad decisions. A socialist program that corporations would like us to forget. Corporate and political elites support socialism when it supports the Corporate Political Agenda. When socialism supports the People, they compare it to Soviet Russia. 

Thomas Paine once wrote; “Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil…”.

Evil corrupts, and it is the People’s responsibility to prevent that corruption. We can’t do that if all we do is listen to the propaganda. This makes us pawns of that evil and not it’s master.

It is important to understand government if the People ever hope to regain their power. We must not be victims of propaganda . We must understand why we believe the way we do. I am not attempting to change your opinion about any of the forms of government I have illustrated. I am asking you to consider what you know and what you think you know. I am asking you to take that information and make an informed decision when wielding your power. If you are only listening to the propaganda, you aren’t making informed decisions. Remember: uninformed votes only favor the Corporate Political Agenda.

The People must overcome the propaganda of the Corporate Political Agenda. We must embrace the power our Constitution assigns us. This is the only way to ensure the health and happiness of a nation For the People. This is only possible through the power Of the People.

We the People are the Power.