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Political

Ovius

Minstrel
How do you over throw an plutoacracy? I do want secrets and deceit even corruption but it does seem that each policial structure is find a new obsticale in my reasoning so I'm wanting to go back to my original political thinking but still leaves me with a new problem that it would not be much fun to read someone getting wealthy through items of greater value.
Please help with any ideas?
 

pmmg

Myth Weaver
Guns and violence is not sufficient?

Get upset, spread lies, work everyone up, have violence and then public hangings.

Or open a free market until different people become wealthy.
 

Ovius

Minstrel
Guns and violence is not sufficient?

Get upset, spread lies, work everyone up, have violence and then public hangings.

Or open a free market until different people become wealthy.
I am trying to keep my main character as weak as possible for as long as i can so I do like the lies upset and group violence I think making different people wealthy. Umm but I do think it makes me think that after it will become something else like a autocracy
 

Rexenm

Maester
A rude awakening. You could fund a perfectly wealthy government over a card game. A general is adequate too. Peace, the final goal.
 

Ovius

Minstrel
A rude awakening. You could fund a perfectly wealthy government over a card game. A general is adequate too. Peace, the final goal.
What if their a few fractions and the MC is in one and kills one of the other leaders leaving is friend to take his place of one of the fractions and loses to leave him as leader to form a oligarchy of elected union leaders. Then when some info. Comes out his friend uses the new army to go after MC.
 

Rexenm

Maester
I’ve thought about this, and voting solves this problem. There is the voice of the people, but not the representation of the people, which is why the hero and his story is so important.
 

Ovius

Minstrel
I’ve thought about this, and voting solves this problem. There is the voice of the people, but not the representation of the people, which is why the hero and his story is so important.
I could do that thank you if it was somewhere between the lose of the MC and his friend then it might save an annoying escape from prision confines/ execution or a betrayal to the people.
 

Rexenm

Maester
If you don’t go the voting way, you could always militarise some corporation, and use propaganda.
 

Genly

Troubadour
Doesn't the overthrow of a plutocracy usually come from a major internal or external crisis? For instance, in Russia during the First World War, the suffering caused by food rationing sparked riots that led to the abdication of the czar. In France, a major economic and financial crisis, combined with growing income inequality, led to a series of political changes that spiraled out of control. It seems that a lot of people need to be made very angry about something for a regime to be overthrown.
 

Ovius

Minstrel
Doesn't the overthrow of a plutocracy usually come from a major internal or external crisis? For instance, in Russia during the First World War, the suffering caused by food rationing sparked riots that led to the abdication of the czar. In France, a major economic and financial crisis, combined with growing income inequality, led to a series of political changes that spiraled out of control. It seems that a lot of people need to be made very angry about something for a regime to be overthrown.
my world is supposed to be a very unstable world, and things are getting more and more restricted in resources due to the world effectively dieing due to the over use of magic and death so break away fractions would be plausable i think but it is and plutocracy deals with the power of trade being harder and those at the top will always try to stay on top. but historicially i didnt think russia or france had been plutocracy maybe im wrong. tho it might be unstable after a regime. Thank you i will look into the fall of them see if there is anything i can learn it is much appreciated
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
Political power grows from the barrel of a gun. Some here may not that is not entirely original.

In one regard, plutocracy is everywhere, since the term merely means rule by the wealthy. I cannot think of an example where those who ruled were not also wealthy, though one could probably have a spirited conversation about what "rule" means. And what constitutes wealth.

I think you need to be clearer in your own mind on both counts. Do those who rule in your world have absolute, tyrannical, utterly efficient power? Or are they merely the richest, but other entities contend with them? Does your story emphasize the power or the wealth?

Your question, as posed, admits of a wide array of replies.
 

Miles Lacey

Archmage
I am trying to keep my main character as weak as possible for as long as i can so I do like the lies upset and group violence I think making different people wealthy. Umm but I do think it makes me think that after it will become something else like a autocracy

You don't need to make a society autocratic for your story idea to work. All that is necessary is to create a plutocratic society that has created a series of myths that justify the plutocracy's existence.

Stories about how dangerous and unstable the society was before the plutocracy existed, rags to riches stories which peddle the lie of hard work leading to people getting out of poverty and stories of people who won money or struck gold to get out of the slums and sweat shops are very useful tools to keep people in line. Give them sports and other distractions to keep them busy.

Now add the main character who has heard and believes all these stories because there's nothing to contradict them. Now you add the spark that leads the character to realise the plutocracy is not what it claims to be and that the stories used to keep people in line are lies or half-truths.

What does the main character do? Reform the system so more people can join the ranks of the plutocracy or to take away some of their power? Overthrow the plutocracy by force? Kill off the more reprehensible individuals? That is up to you.

Once the plutocracy is gone or reformed what happens next? What role, if any, will the main character play in the new society?

Just a few thoughts.
 

Ovius

Minstrel
You don't need to make a society autocratic for your story idea to work. All that is necessary is to create a plutocratic society that has created a series of myths that justify the plutocracy's existence.

Stories about how dangerous and unstable the society was before the plutocracy existed, rags to riches stories which peddle the lie of hard work leading to people getting out of poverty and stories of people who won money or struck gold to get out of the slums and sweat shops are very useful tools to keep people in line. Give them sports and other distractions to keep them busy.

Now add the main character who has heard and believes all these stories because there's nothing to contradict them. Now you add the spark that leads the character to realise the plutocracy is not what it claims to be and that the stories used to keep people in line are lies or half-truths.

What does the main character do? Reform the system so more people can join the ranks of the plutocracy or to take away some of their power? Overthrow the plutocracy by force? Kill off the more reprehensible individuals? That is up to you.

Once the plutocracy is gone or reformed what happens next? What role, if any, will the main character play in the new society?

Just a few thoughts.
These are great ideas to think about to be honest I think i have changed from going done a political branch in my story now but I think that now it's more turned to a cult than a government to over throw but I will show there is some boundary to separate the mother and son from being together.
 
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