🇪🇷GötterdämmerungIt's beginning to look like #Plato was more prescient about governments than Karl Marx ever was. After all, Plato claimed that democracy eventually degenerates into oligarchy before finally reaching a tyrannical state. OTOH, #Marx argued that capitalism emerged from feudalism only to suffer crises until it finally reaches an utopian ideal in communism. Given the recent events in USA & the rise of oligarchs, #latestage #capitalism has become #neofeudalism, Plato wins this round.
MattJohns@Gotterdammerung Polybius’ theory on anacyclosis covers the idea that it cycles.
@mattjohns Thank you for mentioning Polybius' theory of political cycles.
Polybius, a Hellenistic historian, outlined a cycle of government forms (anacyclosis) where regimes pass through the inevitable stages: monarchy to tyranny, to aristocracy, to oligarchy, to democracy, & finally to ochlocracy before returning to monarchy. But I like Machiavelli's more pragmatic & less cyclical version of governance. Instead of the inevitable cyclical change, Machiavelli focused on the dynamics of power.
@mattjohns In the Discourses, Machiavelli points out the advantages/disadvantages of each form of government (monarchy, aristocracy & democracy). He proposes that a mixed government with elements of all three will be the most stable & enduring. Then again, this does echo Polybius' claim that the Roman Republic was stable & successful because it combined all three elements. 