How Oligarchic Capitalism and Totalitarianism Are Eroding Democracy in the US and India

Published : Mar 17, 2025 15:26 IST - 8 MINS READ In a recent review of activist and sociologist Bela Bhatia’s magnificent India’s Forgotten Country, I wrote that her description of rapacious Indian capitalism, the brutality of democratic governance, and belligerent Hindutva reminded me of the United States. Reagan also famously said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” True, governments are inefficient, and officials can be corrupt and self-serving. Reagan himself said, “Soon we may see an economic revolution in India, where Rajiv Gandhi is reducing regulations, lowering tariffs, and slashing taxes.” To be clear, in his Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith, the patron saint of free-market liberalism, advocated for competitive capitalism and for a central role in government. More brutally, the sociologist Charles Tilly described the state as a “protection racket,” akin to “organized crime with the added advantage of legitimacy.” Like sociologists, lawyers are deeply conscious of the state’s coercive power. Schmitt also identified the common “enemy” as a political tool to mobilise “friends.” As these scholars would have predicted, totalitarian tendencies infiltrated the US and India through the state’s use of its “legitimate” violence.