Ochlocracy is such a form of government, which is considered to be a degenerate democracy. This is an intermediate form that exists after the fall of the old political system and before the establishment of a new one.
Ochlocracy is characterized by riots, riots and rallies, during which anarchism is promoted. In this regard, this form of government is usually called the power of the crowd.
A bit of history
Ochlocracy is the power of the mob and the mob. This is how the ancient Greek historian Polybius described this form of power . He believed that this is the worst version of government. Aristotle, in turn, describes this phenomenon as democracy. However, he noted that the people are not able to make rational decisions. As a result, educated leaders were removed from power, anarchy and despotism were established.
Many scholars have considered the phenomenon of ochlocracy. This, of course, is a negative point, but it can be estimated only on historical examples. So, for example, signs of ochlocracy are traced in the French Revolution, as well as in the first years after the advent of Soviet power. And even in the Roman Empire there were some elements of this form of power. This was manifested in the fact that the army independently overthrew and appointed monarchs.
The main signs of ochlocracy
Ochlocracy is one of the most controversial forms of government. She has such basic features:
- social and political groups come to power;
- populist sentiments and primitive ideas are imposed on society;
- lawlessness and arbitrariness in all spheres of public life;
- the conditions for riots are deliberately created;
- trampling on the value of human life;
- crisis phenomena in the economy and other areas.
Modern Ochlocracy
The ideal of the state system of modernity is democracy. Ochlocracy as an independent phenomenon is practically not considered, but some of its signs are sometimes traced. Moreover, ochlocracy complements many democratic regimes. Most often this happens in times of crisis.
Democracy-ochlocracy occurs when the old political norms have become obsolete, and nothing new has been offered to society. The crowd, fueled by the populist speeches of some adventurous leaders, requires a change in political course. The peculiarity of modern ochlocracy is that public discontent is mainly created artificially through scandals and provocations.
The main driving force are the social strata, dissatisfied with the current situation. As a rule, these are ordinary people on whom socio-economic problems are the most pressing. Against this background, new leaders appear, as well as spontaneous organizations, which are often engaged in criminal activities.
Operating principle
The main authority of the ochlocracy is an angry mob. The “worst” rule, which are guided by such basic principles:
- The intelligentsia and other educated people become objectionable, subject to exile, humiliation or physical destruction.
- A strict ban on print media, speeches, works of art and other sources of information that promote to the masses ideas that are supported by the ruling elites.
- Substitution of concepts. As a result, what was previously considered honorable and the best becomes unacceptable and shameful.
- The formation of groups of easily controlled people who will perform the function of terror, persecution or physical destruction of those who disagree. Moreover, this includes not only the ideological population. Many take part in riots on a contract basis.
- The widespread use of violence, which is executed by a discontented crowd, but is provoked and directed by leaders.
- Impunity becomes synonymous with freedom. Thus, those actions that were previously considered criminal acquire legal coloring under the guise of high ideas of public justice.
Modern manifestations
Ochlocracy is the power of the crowd. No matter how wild it sounds, such a phenomenon has a place in the modern world. Manifestations may be as follows:
- The color revolution is an artificially created situation, as a result of which a discontented crowd becomes an instrument in achieving certain goals. The indignation of the people accumulates in spontaneous protests, which are provoked and financed by external forces. Such phenomena are especially common in the post-Soviet space.
- A multi-party system is also a certain form of ochlocracy. So, in the 90s, there were several thousand political associations. As a result, a huge number of people gained access to power, who pursued selfish goals, and were not guided by high political ideas.
- The destructive vertical leads to the fact that certain parts of the state seek independence. The most striking example is the USSR after perestroika. But even in modern Russia there were precedents for the declaration of independence by some republics.
What is the danger of ochlocracy?
Ochlocracy as a form of power is a rather dangerous phenomenon. It wreaks havoc, destruction and lawlessness, which brings a lot of disasters to the life of the country's population. The rights and freedoms of citizens are no longer guaranteed. And even basic security cannot be ensured.
As for the state itself, with the advent of ochlocracy, its sovereignty and existence are threatened. This form of power symbolizes the collapse and crisis of the political system.
Conclusion
Summing up, it is worth saying that the ochlocracy has long ceased to be just the power of the crowd. This is the way marginalized layers realize their ambitions. Also, there are mercantile goals of individual representatives of the ruling elites. The fertile ground for this is the lack of a healthy concept for the development of the state and clear goals.