"...throughout history urban populations have supported authoritarians, while rural populations have not.

The Zman writes,

...throughout history urban populations have supported authoritarians, while rural populations have not. In t"he ancient world, a savvy tyrant like Peisistratus could appeal to the masses of urban poor, to challenge the power of the aristocrats. On the other hand, authoritarian appeals work much better in high density environments. Still, daily familiarity with the power of the state makes people more trusting and comfortable with it. Socialism relies on that trust.

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