Atlas/Row 2 · Col 8/Oligarchist
+3+3
§ Cell № 17 of 81
Row 2, Col 8
Economic: Laissez-faire
Governance: Authoritarian
Coords: X+3 · Y+3
Descriptor

Oligarchist

“Power by economic concentration.”

Exemplar ↓
Porfirio Díaz
Porfirio Díaz
§ 01
The Idea

What Oligarchist actually means.

Oligarchy is a system where political and economic power is concentrated in a small elite, often prioritizing private wealth accumulation over public welfare.

Porfirian Mexico (1876–1911) under Porfirio Díaz exemplifies an Oligarchy. A small elite controlled vast land holdings and industry, with strong government support for foreign investors.

§ 02 · Tenets

Core commitments.

01
Rule by the wealthy few, formal or de facto.
02
Property concentration as political resource.
03
Captured regulators and weak antitrust.
04
Limited mass democratic accountability.
05
Public goods provided privately, conditionally.
§ 03 · Position

Where it sits on the grid.

Economic axis — X+3
LAISSEZ-FAIRE
Full collectivisationUnfettered markets
Governance axis — Y+3
AUTHORITARIAN
Total controlNo state at all
§ 04 · Reading List

Canon & critics.

§ Canon
  • Politics, Book IV
    Aristotle
    -340 · Treatise
  • The Iron Law of Oligarchy (Political Parties)
    Robert Michels
    1911 · ~420 pp
§ Critics
  • Democracy in Chains
    Nancy MacLean
    2017 · ~340 pp
§ Next

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