The world reads and tries to understand big-picture economics but pays little attention to big-picture politics. We tend to treat the amalgam of representative democracy and the capitalist economy as a steady state, a way of dealing with the world that will, if not endure, still last a few more generations. Very few Americans can tell the difference between a democracy and a republic. We are not aware of the political dynamics that shift regimes. So instead of saying Trump et al fit the pattern we are mystified and way off guard,
In standard political history, there is a progression from democracy to anarchy to oligarchy to monarchy and then a revolution repeating the cycle. The US went from a relatively representative democracy to the anarchy of the market to oligarchy of the robber barons onto the oligarchy of the billionaires and the pending one leader regime of Trump (mentioned earlier trump comes from King ( but also Trumped up "fabricated out of nothing or deceitfully; forged; false; worthless" is recorded by 1728. Earlier to trump up was "call, rouse, or proclaim by trumpets" (c. 1400).) Frm Etymology on line also from 1690s.
This dynamic has repeated itself throughout history and should provide an analytical framework for understanding the demise of our own democracy and the near inevitability of Trump.
Economics tries to be a science but does not, as science begins with facts to try to understand. Economics tells us just that the market is the equilibrium of supply and demand but now why does the market equilibrium create billionaires? Simple things like lower interest rates for the wealthy automatically increase their wealth. Early economic writing was clearly for the wealth of those who purchased the books as guidelines on how to further win at the game. Economics does not even try do you understand the word of the game that political theory has ignored. Taken together Economics and political thinking could become an evolutionary theory of power in society, but has not done so.
It is amazing how the politics now in its it's anarchic trending to monopolistic phase ignores climate change and it's exploitation of land and people. The climate is largely out of the news.