Hello,
Have all dictatorships been kleptocracies?
Every form of government is a kleptocracy
>>1298968
Interesting theory
All governments except monarchies are kleptocracies.
Just the Marxist ones, since Marxism is literally based on stealing property.
>>1298968
>>1298969
The only question is how the stolen money is spent.
It is spent according to the wishes of those in power.
In a dictatorship, according to the dictator.
In a democracy, according to the will of the people (in theory)
So in a democracy the money stolen from us is more or less spent as we want, so we call it just.
(The dictator thinks his decisions are just as well)
>>1298938
Sulla.
>>1298938
No, check out Salazar in Portugal
>>1299633
What about those who spend their money on secret bank accounts in Switzerland?
>>1298969
It's a pithy edglord reply but when you think about it it's kind of true.
Ever since the invention of agriculture the project of civilization whether consciously or not has been to extract wealth from the great majority (traditionally the overwhelming farming sector) for the personal greater freedom of an elite few.
John the farmer can feasibly work to feed himself and his immediate family plus 2 extra. So now he is working not just for himself but me as well so I don't have to work all day to survive to the next like literally every other animal on the planet, rather I spend my day writing and contemplating poetry. Thanks, John. But if he really breaks his back working his ass off and only eats the cheaper millet he can stretch it out to 10. Now John is working sunrise to sunset to feed himself plus my family plus a couple of violent goons who I "gave" the extra surplus too so they can spend their days practicing the sword (at my behest) instead of feeding themselves.
I think everyone that is marginally intelligent and has been in the drivers seat of social power has eventually realized it's all a con. Those that are okay with it turn into kleptocrats. The only people that might not clue in are maybe unobservant hereditary monarchs that were born into the system and therefore possibly believed their own dynasty's propaganda. Also lower level bureaucrats in "democracies" that haven't tasted true power and don't ask questions or think too much about things.
>>1299898
I think this is a bit of an oversimplification.
The primary goal of civilization is to provide for the needs of a densely populated human society, the main needs being defense and conflict resolution.
The incentive of the people who solve these problems is to use their control of information, and their relationships within the community, to enrich themselves.
Any society is in constant low-grade conflict because of this disparity in incentives.
>>1299748
I am inclined to agree. Salazar was extremely sad when he was told that there might be oil in Mozambique because he was convinced it would corrupt the Portuguese.
But he is the most unusual dictator par excellence.
Well, here's a question, was Pinochet a kleptocrat?
>>1298938
in South America, yes
>>1300320
he had many secret bank accounts abroad and also seems to have been involved in drug traffic to the USA, in association with his bolivian colleagues
>>1300320
no he was just a thief
>>1299920
Civilizations don't have goals.
>>1300381
Survival?
>>1300369
>>1300375
All-right, thank you for the response.
>>1300381
>>1300418
I would think that civilizations possess the goal of more than bare subsistence survival. On the otherhand, I doubt there was ever a reason other than increased food supply that individuals would join civilization - because I assume at some point civvies had invited noncivvies to join them.
>>1300381
Civilizations don't act as a unified entity with a single purpose.
However, the people running them want to stay in power and accumulate more resources, and the people residing in them want better services from their government, at the lowest possible cost.
>>1298938
Yes, because anyone who tries to stop the klepting is kill.
>>1300361
Ignore this post
>>1299018
The National Socialist one was rather corrupt, to name one.
>>1300320
He stole commies but he did give them back to earth
>>1298938
>not "that's where you're wrong pinko"
