Counterintuitive Facts (51): Why Do All Democratic Organizations Eventually Become Dictatorships?
PremiumIron Law of Oligarchy: This isn't betrayal. This is the mathematical inevitability of organizational survival
I. Suppose you founded an "absolutely democratic" club. Everyone has equal power. Big and small matters are voted on. No leaders. Everyone takes turns on duty. The original intention is perfect. Must avoid bureaucracy, avoid dictatorship. At 10 people, everything runs smoothly. But as the club grows from 10 to 100 to 1000 people. Things start going wrong.
II. Everyone discovers "voting on everything" is too slow. Even buying a chair requires three days of meetings. So everyone says: "Let's elect a few representatives to handle daily affairs." A few enthusiastic, capable people with free time. Elites. Are elected. They start controlling information. Start handling club affairs full time.
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