The Oligarchic Unconscious of Liberal Republicanism Study Notes

The Oligarchic Unconscious of Liberal Republicanism

Authors and Acknowledgments

• Authors: Udeepta Chakravarty, Jochen Schmon

  • Affiliations:

  • Department of Sociology, The New School for Social Research, New York City, New York, USA

  • Department of Politics, The New School for Social Research, New York City, New York, USA

• Correspondence: Jochen Schmon (schmj813@newschool.edu)

• Funding: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

• Acknowledgments: The authors express their indebtedness to Andreas Kalyvas for mentorship and constructive feedback.

Introduction to Oligarchy and Democracy

• Historical Context:

  • The charge of oligarchy against the Federal Constitution was deemed extraordinary by James Madison in Federalist No. 57 (1789).

  • Bernie Sanders noted the dominant role of billionaires representing 0.0001 of 1 percent of the population as a condition contrary to democracy instead leaning towards oligarchy.

Renewed Interest in Oligarchy

• Contemporary Discourse:

  • Oligarchy has resurfaced in political discussions, especially concerning “Russian oligarchs” as articulated by Aslund (2019) and Hoffman (2011).

  • This resurgence serves as a normatively defensive concept empowering discourse against “failed” states in the Global East and South.

• Critique by Political Theorists:

  • Scholars like Chantal Mouffe (2019) and Bernie Sanders have used the term to critique Western liberal-republican regimes since the 1970s neoliberal emergence.

  • Contemporary critiques present oligarchy as a tendency innate to liberal democracy (Winters and Page 2009), framing it as “civil oligarchy,” where wealth influences politics without direct coercive power.

  • Fishkin and Forbath (2022) propose a reclamation of the American Constitution’s anti-oligarchic democratic traditions against the trend of oligarchization.

  • Cohen (2024) emphasizes that oligarchy is not merely a legal-constitutional alternative but an internal threat that can be managed through legislation.

The Argument: Oligarchy as an Essential Character

• Thesis:

  • The authors contend that oligarchy is not a deviation but an inherent characteristic of the liberal republic, linking it historically to the classical interpretations of oligarchy as “the rule of the rich over the poor.”

• Methodology:

  • The analysis includes a reconstruction of political-theoretical concepts found in the Federalist Papers and Adam Smith’s writings to demonstrate the oligarchic underpinning of liberal republicanism.

• Historical Interpretation:

  • The term oligarchy signifies a recurrent theme marking a crisis within liberal democracy, historically disrupting its foundational precepts yet frequently repressed within discourse.

Notable Arguments in Political Thought

1. Liberal political regimes’ dynamic with Oligarchy:

   • Adam Smith describes a political regime whose framework, while claiming to be progressive, in fact institutionalizes oligarchic tendencies by ensuring the protection of property rights.

   • Federalist arguments faced accusations from Anti-Federalists suggesting their republic served the wealthy.

2. Political Unconscious in Liberalism:

   • Madison acknowledges the unequal distribution of wealth leads to distinct societal interests and acknowledges the role of factions in potential democratic instability (FP 10).

   • The tension holds that the very nature of democracy conflicts with capitalist structures which prioritize property rights.

3. Class Struggles as the Subtext of Liberalism:

   • The authors assert that class struggles, illustrated during the Massachusetts peasant rebellion (Shays’ Rebellion), expose the oligarchic underpinnings repressed in liberal republican discourse.

Framework of the Oligarchic Unconscious in Historical Context

I. Conceptual Foundation of the Oligarchy in Liberalism

• Aristotle’s Formation:

  • Aristotle viewed both oligarchy and democracy as opposing forces needing constitutionally countered by mixed regimes to prevent factional conflict and secure property rights.

  • Oligarchy, characterized by the desire of a few wealthy individuals to govern, is juxtaposed to democracy characterized by the rule of the many poor.

II. Liberalism’s Oligarchic Discourse

• Integration of Aristocratic Ethics:

  • The Federalists translated classical republicanism, assuring the elite govern under the guise of safeguarding the common good.

  • Representation was meant to prevent direct democratic action that could dismantle established wealth structures, echoing Aristotle’s views on virtuous governance.

III. Popular Struggles Exposing a Fragile Order

• Shays’ Rebellion:

  • Understood as a pivotal moment showcasing the oligarchic unconscious, this peasant uprising against property rights signified the need to confront economic disparities inherent in the political order.

IV. Symbolic Return of an Oligarchic Consciousness in Modernity

• Impact of Democratic Actions:

  • The systematic oppression of economic demands reveals the tension within liberal republicanism—a governance structured to maintain the wealthy's interests over collective democratic interests.

Conclusion

• The article posits that liberal republicanism’s framework, while outwardly foundational to democracy, inherently protects oligarchic principles that favor wealth preservation over equitable governance.

• The critiques of contemporary theorists underscore an ongoing struggle between oligarchic tendencies and the aspirations of a broadly participatory democracy, articulating a tension that persists in modern political discourse.

• The systematic recovery of historical class struggle narratives underlines the necessity for an honest assessment of the dynamics underpinning modern governance.