Probably, everyone heard the expression “power pyramid”. One can even say that every person uttered it at least once or twice in his life in a particular context. But what is meant by it? You will say that it’s already clear. But no. Each person has his own image associated with him, depending on what source he picked up this viral expression from. Let's look in detail.
One meaning or many?
They will tell you the phrase “pyramid of power”, that the first will come to mind? Some people have ancient Egyptian buildings, others have a dollar, and others will longingly remember how they went to a local official.
There will be those who begin to talk about the "Global Predictor", using information gathered from conspiracy theorists. Who will be right? Most likely all.
The pyramid of power - the concept is far from unambiguous, multifaceted. It is never consumed separately. Its meaning is to the listener (reader) only in the context of the topic that the speaker is trying to open.
The fact is that a concept was born a very long time ago. Yes, it turned out to be so capacious that for more than a millennium it has been kept in the vocabulary of many peoples. Power in itself is a burning topic. It is interesting to almost everyone. However, not everyone understands how it is carried out, what is necessary in order to possess it. So the "pyramid of power" is overgrown with all sorts of theories, sometimes close, and more often, far from the original (true) meaning.
The pyramid of power in ancient Egypt
For a deeper understanding, you need to turn to history.
Have you seen the same Egyptian pyramids? They have the sacred meaning of that civilization. At its head stood Pharaoh. He was a god on earth, the owner of everything that was on his lands, and herself, by the way, too.
He himself could hardly control the “property”. For this, clans were created, divided into several groups. The vizier dealt with property issues through the work of a large number of assistants. Spiritual life was dominated by priests. They can be compared with current media and politicians in one bottle. But the pharaoh led everything. His will was not disputed. And no one could have such a thought. In that society, the idea of submission to power was assimilated from the cradle. We get the first simplest pyramid. Its peak is Pharaoh. Next is the vizier and the high priest. Then - "officials" of lower ranks. And the platform is the people.
Fast forward now
When a person begins to figure out what the pyramid of power is, he invariably comes to an analogy with the Egyptian system. So many centuries have passed, but essentially nothing has changed. Only the power itself has grown, supplemented by technologies and institutions, but the meaning is the same. There is a peak - people who make decisions are mandatory for everyone (such as the pharaoh). These are followed by those who bring them to life and control the "performers". This layer has become wider, multi-stage. It now includes governing bodies (state and local), the media, the political system, the courts, and so on. Well, the last layer (base) has not changed.
Below, as before, the people. On it stands the pyramid of power, both thousands of years ago, and now. Yes, they also forgot that now it is not so simple. That is, if in Egypt power came from one person, was concentrated in him, now it has disintegrated. In addition to state systems, corporations appeared that have no less, and sometimes even more power.
Conspirological Theory
Just a few words. Some researchers come to the controversial conclusion that the world is ruled not by governments, but by some invisible force. It is different from rock (or God). These are very specific people, giving birth not to the policy itself (decisions), but to an ideology that leads to various consequences in the global development of mankind.
There is a lot of information on this subject. Their pyramid of power looks a little different. The peak is a global predictor (those same rulers of the world). Next is a layer of all kinds of managers visible to people. These include state leaders and money magnates. They are the hands of a global predictor. Next up is the apparatus of governments and corporations. The foundation, you guessed it, is still the same. You can have a different attitude to this theory. Direct evidence of its realism does not exist.
However, it describes in sufficient detail the meaning of the global power pyramid.
Main features
Now you can look at the root, so to speak, of the concept itself. The pyramid is characterized by steps. They talk a lot about them, trying to unravel what they mean. In fact, they are a clear and quite simple demonstration of the hierarchy.
The world (in Egyptian civilization) is built in steps. And from one level to another it is very difficult to rise (to fall is easy). So we come to the main characteristic of the pyramid of power. She is hierarchical. In it, layers are separated, separated from each other by more or less impenetrable borders. Remember: “How do I become a general? He has his own son! ” This, of course, is exaggerated. Only even in a modern democratic society there is a clear line between the layers. It’s easy to just replenish the ranks of the people. No one will mind.
The hierarchical pyramid of power under democracy is well disguised through the introduction into the minds of people of the idea that everyone has rights. But try to implement them in reality. Whoever does not believe, let him begin to create his billionth fortune. They say that representatives of the "old money" do not recognize Bill Gates as well.
The pyramid of power in Russia
Let's touch on a little bit of the realities of our life. In the Russian Federation there is a completely open hierarchy of power. It is fixed in the basic law. At the head is the president, elected by popular vote. But by his rights, he does not reach the pharaoh. Decisions on the development of the state are made by the collegial body - the parliament, and even that is not all.
Russia is a federation. Each member has its own representative body. He makes decisions within his competence for the local level. This is the legislative branch. She makes decisions. All the people whom we elect together constitute that same Egyptian pharaoh. There is still executive power. These are peculiar viziers. They bring to life and control the execution of decisions. The third branch of government is the judiciary. Its functions include consideration of controversial issues.
Unfortunately, the conclusion can be drawn as follows: millennia have passed, and people have not been able to organize their life in a new way. The pyramid of power does not lose relevance.