guns,germs and steel

Guns,germs and steel
by Jared Diamond


"The difference between a kleptocrat and a wise statesman,between a robber baron and a public benefactor ,is merely one of degree:a matter of just how much large a percentage of the tribute extracted from producers is retained by the elite,and how much the commoners like the public uses to which the redistributed tribute is put.

For any ranked society,whether a chiefdom or a state,one thus has to ask why do the commoners tolerate the transfer of the fruits of their hard labour to kleptocrats?This question,raised by political theorists from Plato to Marx,is raised anew by voters in every modern election.Kleptocracies with little public support run the risk of being overthrown either by downtrodden commoners or by upstart would be replacement kleptocrats seeking public support by promising a higher ratio of services rendered to fruits stolen.

What should an elite do to gain popular support while still maintaining a more comfortable lifestyle than commoners?

1.Disarm the populace and arm the elite
2.Make the masses happy by redistributing much of the tribute received in popular ways.
3.Use the monopoly of force to promote happiness,by maintaining public order and curbing violence.
4.The remaining way for kleptocrats to gain public support is to construct an ideology or religion justifying kleptocracy."


History repeats itself.