The Psychology of Oligarchy

How Thieving Billionaire Leaders Create Apathy (Vol. 5; Issue 2)

Americans anxious over the loss of democracy might already be witnessing the realization of their fears. Our national politics mimic, in many ways, how Russia’s brief flirtation with democracy failed. A distant memory now, but Russia enjoyed a kind of democracy for some months after the Soviet system collapsed in the 1990s.

In December 1991, the Soviet Union, a tragic farce of Marx’s idealistic vision, collapsed from decades of murderous purges and profound corruption. Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet president, desperately introduced reforms like Perestroika (restructuring) and Glasnost (openness). They came too late. They, nonetheless, paved the way for Russia’s potential for a democratic government.

The notoriously alcoholic Boris Yeltsin became the first president of post-Soviet Russia. He introduced further market liberalization, transitioning the economy from a centrally planned communist system to a free-market one. The chaotic transition allowed for private ownership, but the government remained too unstable to create checks and balances. For example, Yeltsin pal Roman Abramovich, along with another billionaire, Boris Berezovsky, acquired the large oil company, Sibneft. Mikhail Khodorkovsky obtained control over another petrochemical company, Yukos.

These and a few other newly enriched individuals, along with Yeltsin, became the de facto leaders of the Russian federation. So much for democracy. Vladimir Putin, the intelligent if psychopathic former KGB officer who succeeded Yeltsin in 2000, accelerated the thievery and quashed efforts for democracy.* A faux Russian parliament existed, but lacked real power. Although words like “democracy” were uttered by Russian leaders prior to Putin, after him the government combined oligarchy and kleptocracy.

Enter the newly elected Donald Trump. The similarities are obvious. A few fabulously rich people, along with Russian-like extortionists, circle around Trump like vultures over fresh roadkill. Elon Musk, owner of X, Tesla and SpaceX, literally lives at Mar-a-Lago with Trump. He has a cottage behind the mansion. Billionaires paying homage to Trump include Jeff Bezos (of Amazon), Vivek Ramaswamy (of Roivant Sciences), Tim Cook (of Apple), Sergey Brin (of Google), Mark Zuckerberg (of Facebook ), and Sam Altman (of OpenAI).

Regarding thievery, Musk’s conflicts of interest are mind-boggling. His companies obtain hundreds of millions of dollars in grants and tax credits. The US government literally depends upon SpaceX for its space program. Google, allegedly offering free services, actually sells our information without paying us rent. Amazon, operating businesses from retail to trucking, overshadows all prior monopolies in US history. It crushes small businesses one-by-one.