Political Transition #2
Controlling Power & Wealth
These twin drivers of all are our touchstone. We must ask ourselves: what has really changed with ? The answer is little unless all aspects are introduced.
Faced with relative poverty amongst the people, the post-revolutionary political elites have two possible paths:
Path 1 returns to : domination by privileged elites—but with some new groups and new faces among those elites. Economic life continues… 
Path 2 takes the seriously and actually organizes for redistribution of power and wealth.
Redistributing Power & Wealth
Faced with widespread enfranchisement and a need to redistribute wealth and power, politicians ask: "Whose wealth and whose power is going to be re-distributed?"
While a King or dictator may be removed from power and his wealth confiscated, the existing elite classes (military, officialdom, priesthood) in that regime remain and have little wish to become public benefactors. Their powerful roles, member support, connections, influence, experience, knowledge and riches combine to ensure these elites maintain a significant grip on power and whatever wealth is around.
Power
Democracy and voting give rather little power to the people—especially in a one-party state. Power shifts take time in any culture and depend primarily on:
Emancipation of Women: respect, education, maternity services, suffrage.
Education: from childhood through to university and beyond.
Health-care: health education, prevention, basic health services.
Such redistribution is costly for governments—where does the money come from?
Wealth
No government produces wealth—politicians spend the wealth generated by ordinary people or inherent in the territory of the society. Politicians have many options to obtain wealth, most of which are varieties of plunder.Details
.There is only one way to increase the wealth of a society into which government can dip. The society must come to see that each person has a responsibility to look after themselves and their family and reap the benefits of hard work.
Dithering
The inability of at this Stage to do much for the majority of the population must have been a disturbing surprise to committed socialist ideologues in the 20th century. They misunderstood the cravings for wealth and power of the leaders, and underestimated the potential of the citizenry.
It's worse if the society allows its political leaders to dither about the transition over a prolonged period.
In such cases, money will generally be lacking to satisfy genuine grievances, to deal with basic social needs like education and health care, to generate infrastructure essential for commercial development, and to respond to natural disasters. Economic development will concentrate in the capital where the elites live, and regions will suffer.
Remember: Government has no wealth of its own.
- Provision of enduring widespread prosperity requires a move to Stage-3: the individualist mode.
Originally posted: July 2009; Last updated: 27 Jan 2010