Ochlocracy

Ochlocracy ( altgr. ὀχλοκρατία, ochlos from ὄχλος, crowd, mass, mob ', and -cracy ), German and mob rule, is a pejorative term for a form of government in which a mass permeated their political decisions as majority or by force. In the older literature there is occasionally used as a synonym the word Laokratie (Greek: λαός laos, people, crowd ' and κράτος kratos, power, rule ') used. Literally translated means Laokratie " rule of the people ". In Conversations -hand lexicon of 1831 Laokratie has also been translated as mob rule.

History

The term was coined by the historian Polybius introduced (around 200-118 BC) in the ancient Greek theory of the state. In its constitution circuit it represents the ochlocracy as a degenerate form or " degeneration" of democratic government dar. The orientation is lost in the common good, instead of self-interest and greed determine the actions of citizens.

Herodotus difference between a good and a bad form of government of all citizens. Even Plato ( 427-347 BC ) distinguished a successful result of a failed democracy, but did not have any here own terminology. Aristotle ( 384-322 BC ) described later, the polity ( gr πολιτεία politeia, Constitution ') as the "good" and democracy ( gr δῆμος demos, ' people ' ) as the " bad" expression of a form of government, in which the people there. Polybius finally differentiated terminologically and designated ochlocracy the negative variant of the rule of the people, while the term "democracy" has positive connotations with him.

In principle prevailed in the ancient state theory since Plato the idea that each oriented to the common good of rule have a degenerate, oriented only to the interests of the ruling class counterpart. From out that the basic forms of constitutions are necessarily unstable view, Polybius has first developed the idea of ​​the Constitution circuit that sets these forms of domination to one another.

Especially when considering the two forms of popular rule, the distinction between common good (democracy ) and the cumulative interests of individual citizens is clear: If everyone thinks only of himself and acts out this interest, it ultimately harms the common good. The same distinction we find in Jean -Jacques Rousseau in the distinction between volonté générale and volonté de tous.