Plutocracy

The plutocracy or Plutarchie (Greek πλουτοκρατία plutokratía, Wealth rule ', Pluto's πλοῦτος, wealth ' and κρατεῖν kratein prevail ') is a form of domination is legitimized in the rule by wealth, ie the rule of money (or " money aristocracy" called ). Political rights are assigned on the basis of the assets (eg through the census suffrage ). The plutocracy is a sub-form of oligarchy.

In a plutocratic system, there is a high degree of social inequality in low social mobility. In a plutocracy offices usually only the haves are accessible. There is a census suffrage, the have-nots of the policy excludes civil rights, which political power is exercised primarily for the benefit of the holders of power. This is connected to the financial power from individuals or companies the constitutional order of a State bypasses, selfish controls the state and manipulated democratic elections as possible.

History

1817 Adam Weishaupt already speaks of " Plutocratie or rule of the rich " at the expense of increasing dependency of the poor, as the cause of any great revolution.

Battle cry of the Third Reich

In National Socialism was a plutocracy to criticism of capitalism often used term. In particular, it has been widely used by the Reich Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda under Joseph Goebbels to criticize the British and U.S. government. It was assumed that the rich capitalists their influence in particular to use the conservatives to suppress their own people and the companies controlled by the British Empire nations of the Third World such as India and extend their sphere of influence on continental Europe ( " expansionism "). Furthermore served the concept of defamation of Judaism, which suggested that there had been by large capital strength and influence on policy (see " World Jewry ").

Given the use of the term in the Third Reich also left critics of the system were in the German language cautious with the use of this term in order not to be suspected of sympathy with Nazism, not at all ( taboo ) or with great caution ( used him see Political Correctness ).

Today in many sciences English terms are used as technical terms. The English discussion ( plutocracy ) have helped to make the concept back to a value-free descriptive technical term.

Plutocracy in the presence

In modern times, some political scientists and Others recognize in the USA plutocratic system features, as in many other Western countries. This view is justified by the structure of the recruitment of political elites who are often closely linked with economic elites. In some cases this power is additionally supported by influential mass media - an example in connection with the neoconservative worldview is the work of the media empire of Rupert Murdoch.

Kevin Phillips, author and political strategist to U.S. President Richard Nixon, declared that the United States of America were a " plutocracy " in which there is a " union of money and government." Chrystia Freeland used in her book The super rich ( in the original: Plutocrats ), " who among themselves more in common than with their compatriots at home ", running the words plutocracy plutocrats or as a term for this "new global monetary elite". Credit Suisse AG certifies in its Global Wealth Report 2011 the UHNWIs ( ultra high net worth individuals ) - defined as " persons who have an investable income of at least $ 50 million " - a similar lifestyle and increasingly global in nature, so that they always longer form a community. These circles are " defined by interests, not by geography ." globalization of Super Elite starts at school and continues to the elite universities. the class of plutocrats is a world in which " the specialty the diploma is more important than the nationality. " They meet regularly at conferences (World economic Forum, Davos, Bilderberg conference, Boao Forum, TED (conference), Digital Life Design, etc.), as well as in exclusive hotels and at private parties. serving this upper class are the "income defense industry " of lawyers, tax consultants and lobbyists, as well as the suppliers of luxury goods and services, of which the "stars ", if they are lucky, can also become super-rich. The most widespread is the financial sector; in particular the operators of hedge funds, venture capital firms and investment companies form the " billionaire circle ".

In addition to the technological progress in the field of information and communication and the globalization enabled and accelerated the global trend of liberalization since the 1980s, the rapid rise of the new upper class. With over three decades continued, across party lines, approved deregulation of financial markets underwent a hijacking of the state by the financial industry, which eventually became so obvious with the financial crisis and the bank bailout by the States that - triggered protests - so far unsuccessful. Added to this was since 1990 the transformation of the state planned economies in private capitalist market economies. The Capture of pension income at the expense of the general public also happens in the more classical form by powerful groups use their influence to change the economic rules of the game. So played western governments, particularly in Washington and London by deregulated financial markets, an even greater role in the rise of the Global Super Elite, as the sale of state assets in the emerging markets. "The attempt to influence the rules of the game to their own benefit is not an aberration, it is what companies aspire. " Achieving this through legal corruption by means of campaign contributions and lobbying, the most profitable business is and gives additional political power.

How much in recent decades, the income pyramid has worsened in the U.S., show the values ​​determined by Emmanuel Saez figures for the development of the average income of the population in the USA in U.S. $.

From 1946 to 1963, the top tax rate for income was about 2.5 million ( today's ) dollars at 91 percent; and until 1981 it remained at 70 percent. Today, however, the super-rich are no longer taxed separately. The very moderate top marginal tax of 36.9 percent has been digging for an annual income of $ 400,000, quite apart from the fact that for the super rich created loopholes and shields were spanned by which they reduce their tax burden even further. For, as Warren Buffett 2011: " class struggle exists in the U.S. for 20 years, and my class has won. "