The current discontent with politics, notably in the US and UK, and their elites brings back the horrible possibility of mob rule, also called ochlocracy.
Despite those mentioned countries being democracies, they are not direct democracies. And while the concept of direct democracies may not work even in such a culture as Swiss, the US, and the UK democracies are ruled by elites.
These elites create judiciary systems (laws, judges, attorneys) and decide the cultures of police and correction departments. They mold the culture (against anti-semitism, racial hate, and so on) and are present at universities, thus everything is passed on.
The reality of the countries becoming real ochlocracies is tiny as those who rule are hidden in the background and cannot make this happen.
But let’s take a look at what a real mob rule would look like.
Where has the mob rule actually happened
The Roman Republic experienced instances that we could describe as ochlocracy, particularly during periods of civil unrest and the decline of the republic. Populist leaders like the Gracchi brothers, Julius Caesar, and the turbulent era of civil wars could be seen as examples where mob influence and mass populism played significant roles in political decision-making.
The French Revolution (1789–1799) is a significant historical example of ochlocracy. The revolution began with popular uprisings and led to a period of radical social and political upheaval. The Reign of Terror, in particular, is often cited as a period where mob rule and the influence of mass movements led to widespread violence and the breakdown of lawful governance.
Capital punishment is a necessity
Homo sapiens are enormously vindictive by nature. However, such behavior is maladaptive in modern society. Estimates suggest that around 50-60% of people worldwide are in favor of the death penalty.
In the United States, support has declined over the years, but a majority still favors it. As of recent polls, about 55-60% of Americans support the death penalty for persons convicted of murder (1).
Gallup poll indicated that 60% of Eastern Europeans supported capital punishment.
No matter whether you are right-winger, left-winger, liberal, or conservative, the elites are clear: no such thing as the death penalty should exist.
The death penalty is significantly more expensive than life imprisonment due to the lengthy and complex legal processes involved in capital cases. These resources, some argue, could be better allocated to crime prevention and rehabilitation programs (2).
The application of the death penalty is often arbitrary and inconsistent, with similar crimes receiving different sentences based on factors unrelated to the crime itself, such as geographic location and the discretion of prosecutors and judges (3).
Research has consistently shown that the death penalty does not effectively deter crime more than life imprisonment without parole. This challenges the argument that capital punishment is necessary for public safety (4).
The irreversible nature of the death penalty means that any mistake—such as wrongful conviction—cannot be undone. This is particularly troubling given documented cases where individuals on death row have been exonerated through new evidence or legal appeals (5).
It is people’s nature to have opinions that are based on emotions and our prehistory instincts. “Lenient” sentences for murderers can anger the general population.
Massive prison torture is a typical sign of mob rule
When a murder occurs, we must, of course, sentence the guilty person. But it goes so much more far. We must exceed his crime and prepare the worst living conditions for him. Are we better than the murderer? No, we are much worse.
While the majority of the world population lives in countries where prison torture is prevalent, people living in countries where torture is minimalized envy them and want to expose the criminals to the hardest suffering that can be.
I live near one of the worst prisons in the Czech Republic. The worst of the worst are incarcerated there. And since communists were really good at torturing people, it has a gruesome past.
The local correction officers have had drinking binges, tortured the prisoners to death just for fun, and then faked their deaths as suicides by hanging them.
And this is what people desire the most. This is the mob rule. But let’s get back to rational thinking.
John Howard was a philanthropist and prison reformer in the 18th century. His work and observations led him to conclude that the conditions of prisons were inhumane and that such cruelty did not serve as an effective deterrent to criminal behavior. He advocated for more humane treatment of prisoners and significant reforms to the prison system. So well, the mob is wrong.
Draconian punishments
Draconian punishments are extremely harsh and severe penalties imposed for various offenses. Historically, these punishments were often disproportionate to the crimes committed and aimed at deterring others through their severity. Here are some examples of draconian punishments from different times and cultures.
Draco, the Athenian legislator, is famous for instituting a legal code that imposed the death penalty for minor offenses such as theft, even petty theft. This led to the term “draconian” being associated with excessively harsh punishments.
Back then in China, Lingchi was a form of execution used from roughly 900 AD until its abolition in 1905. It involved the gradual slicing of the body until death ensued, serving as a form of extreme public humiliation and pain.
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In Singapore, caning is a common punishment for offenses such as vandalism, drug-related crimes, and immigration violations. The caning is carried out with a rattan cane and causes severe physical pain and injury.
And you think it will be a deterrent for those committing the crimes? No way, Russia has very tough prisons but since the country is poor and has huge economic inequality, recidivism is enormously prevalent.
Mob rule cannot go without xenophobia. What about gas chambers?
One Czech judicial activist claimed that if the Czech Republic wasn’t part of the EU, there would be gas chambers for Romani people and other “foreigners” whom Czech people hate so much.
The UK people are also very discontent with immigration (or racial) issues. But since they are reserved, they don’t express it flat-out.
In countries such as mine where the LGBTQ is being loathed, a punishment by the mob (for example prisons, but even the gas chambers) could take place for them.
Unlimited spending, bankruptcy and financial collapse
You may object that I am contradicting myself because I always claim the super-rich should be put aside and give their massive wealth for good purposes (science, poverty, and so on).
But imagine there are no super-rich (and they actually don’t exist (their influence respectively) in the view of the stupid masses), the mob always wants always spend everything no matter how much they indebt the country.
The instability can lead to an economic collapse, with hyperinflation, unemployment, and widespread poverty.
Mob rule brings vigilante justice
Draconian punishments don’t have to be necessarily conducted via judges and fair trials. Actually, vigilant justice, public executions, and lynching are some parts of the society’s desires.
The formal legal system would likely collapse under mob rule, with courts unable to function, leading to arbitrary and capricious justice based on the whims of the mob.
Political instability
How funny it is! The mob rule lusts for better, stable politics. Yet, ochlocracy always ends in a huge politically unstable environment when they first punish “revolutionaries”, and then the second ones.
Warlords
You may think that without the police, the world would turn into chaos. People have innate features to power-brokering which would result in warlords. The UK and the USA are ruled by warlords? Some people really want it, some don’t know that is it an unintended consequence.
Corruption? They don’t want it. So let’s have it
Populist or ochlocratic movements lead a vigorous fight against corruption. But people would learn what real corruption is after mob rule starts to exist.
Moral degradation
The widespread acceptance of violence and lawlessness would lead to a general moral degradation, with societal norms and values eroding over time.
I would equate it to Donald Trump’s presidency, which ended up with Americans having societal norms completely broken.
The US (relatively) used to have a good political culture. Nowadays, the culture is on the same level as the Czech Republic, Hungary, and so on.
Conclusion
This was an imagined situation. However, the saddest thing is that some parts of society really want all of this. They want to immerse into our most animalistic prehistoric instincts.
You may read this and be from a country that has these tendencies somehow suppressed, but the majority of countries in the world are full of these people, including mine.
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