It is often believed that a strong middle class is vital for the democratization of countries. Why?
In: Other
The leaders of a government are a function of power. Where power rests in a society directly correlates to who is in charge of that society. Feudal leaders control the land and the military, and because of the nature of military tactics in feudal society, there is a large gap in the effective amount of power between the people in charge the average person.
Democratization happens when the people at the top cannot reasonably oppress the majority of the people anymore. You saw this in Greece because the buy-in for the average citizen to be a part of military was relatively low. The way phalanxes were structured, most people could afford the materials necessary to take part effectively in the military conflicts, so the wealthy people did not have all the power because they could not completely control military force and how it was used the way you see peasant rebellions in the middle ages being put down easily by the upper classes.
Similarly in the age of muskets and rifles, the average person could be a part of the military with relatively little financial buyin. Gear for horses and armor and swords are expensive and take a lot of years of training to master. Guns are pretty much a point-and-shoot situation. This is one of the reasons that the American revolution was able to be successful, and one of the reasons that the second amendment rules about people being allowed to take part in the militias was so important.
In the modern era power is less about military force and more about economic force. A strong middle class allows power to be diffused throughout the society such that a small number of people aren’t able to manipulate them through propaganda, or information warfare.
Tldr; democracy requires the power be spread out throughout the society, and money is power. A large middle-class means that there is less of a divide between the rich and the poor, and the rich are less able to control things. This allows for a democracy instead of an oligarchy. When the wealthy gain too much political control, the government becomes an oligarchy.
This is one of the reasons that the Greeks were so careful to do things via lottery and to pay jurors and political leaders. Democracy requires an even playing field between the rich and the poor or the rich will inevitably skew the system in their favor.
Latest Answers