In this episode, CJ revisits DHP Episode 34, “The Iron Law of Oligarchy,” from 2014, in preparation for an upcoming mini-series on oligarchy & CJ’s argument that modern democracy is just oligarchy with extra steps.
A little bit about German sociologist Robert Michels, who first described this lawThe Iron Law of Oligarchy as described by Michels in his early-20th century book Political PartiesThe Iron Law of Oligarchy in other contextsSome noteworthy exceptions to the Iron Law that various scholars have found, including the International Typographical Union, the New Left student movement of the 1960s, ancient Athens, and WikipediaSign up for CJ’s upcoming Dangerous History Live-Ceum Course “The Decline & Fall of the Soviet Empire” (Patreon supporters at $25/month & higher can get 15% off)Support the Dangerous History Podcast via PatreonOther ways to support the showGet CJ’s Dangerous American History Bibliography FREESubscribe to the Dangerous History Podcast Youtube ChannelFollow CJ on Twitter/XFollow the DHP on InstagramFollow the DHP on FacebookHire CJ to speak to your group or at your eventYou can throw CJ a $ tip via Paypal here:
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The post DHP Special: Revisiting “The Iron Law of Oligarchy” first appeared on The Dangerous History Podcast.