Did Feudalism Say "I will be back?" : Ramesh Shrestha

Democracy can succeed only if there is a fully informed public as a component of checks and balances in governance. The majority of the public are being influenced by too many factors which the governments are oblivious to, or are unwilling to address as a result of which the majority of the people remain in their private bubble. Some of these factors are seriously influencing the governance, yet there are no movements to remedy the situation. One of the most serious threats to democracy is the ascent of unelected technocrats and businessmen and organisations which are manipulating the governance and public policies, which only benefits the plutocrats at the top end of the food chain. It is gradually looking like a blurred mirror image of feudalism with the spread of new breeds of Fiefs who exercise their authority not based on land but on technology and finance. A big question is, is the government complicit?

If it sounds like it is feudalism, ....

Feudalism was the socio-political-economic system that started in France during the medieval era, spread to England and Germany and eventually spread across Europe. Feudalism in Japan originated independently. In feudalism the Fiefs, the feudal lords – big landlords – obtains their legitimacy through the relationship with the rulers, the sole controller of the government. The feudal lords even exercise the role of public authority including formal judicial functions. It is a system characterised by total political authority exercised by local Fiefs on the residents of the locality within their jurisdiction. Feudalism existed in various forms throughout different empires with varying degrees of influence on subjects/citizens. In feudalism the relationship between the Fiefs and the citizens is largely ownership of lands, taxation and citizens dependence on Fiefs for services and protection. In modern days, our Fiefs in three-piece suits derive their authority from their Head of Government or Head of State whom they help get elected through various means.

Following the end of great wars, political fragmentation and diseases came different forms of governance. In the past centuries countries experimented with various forms of monarchy, democracy, socialism and communism. Citizen’s rights and land reform were two of the most common agenda in all forms of governance. Fast forward to the 20th century, capitalism seems to have taken roots in most western countries within the political administration of all forms of governance systems as the means of production. Everyone thought it was the end of feudalism and colonialism at last. Was it?

Capitalism within governance

Capitalism within democratic governance brought in a lot of prosperity and growth everywhere. The new technology also aided considerably in making capitalism much more efficient in generating wealth. Capitalism became the economic model in all forms of governance globally including in communism where central planning is still worshiped. But unbeknownst to most, capitalism has colonised people’s minds with its efficiency and information drive where the controllers of the capital have become the new Fiefs. The new breed of Fiefs are the technocrats, business conglomerates, and organisations established by tycoons. They get their jobs done through the bureaucrats in governance.

Beyond profit

The Fiefs of information technology are some of the most aggressive and destructive elements for democratic governance globally. The misinformation and disinformation ranges from election interference to distractive contents that could harm the social media users. Freedom of speech is an essential component of democratic principles but this concept has been hijacked by those who control the system purely for profit. Large scale misinformation and disinformation has been the mainstay of the media. The relationship between the tech Fiefs and the public has become like a mirror image of medieval feudalism where the Feudal lords allow the public to use land and the public pay taxes in return. In the current context the tech Fiefs allows the public to use a wide range of social media for free and the Fiefs use personal information of the users to benefit from the advertising and marketing of products, with practically no control. This is happening globally.

On 5th April four Ontario school boards filed a joint lawsuit claiming a damage of C$4bn against Meta alleging that the platforms have disrupted student’s learning. The school board also claims that the social media platforms have ‘negligently designed for compulsive use and have rewired the way children think, behave and learn’. There have also been several scientific publications on anxiety and depression among children as a result of excessive use of social media. In a separate case, the EU has also slapped a fine of U$368 million against TikTok for reasons of cyber security. With regards to the media the regulatory authorities seem to be sedated just like the rulers during feudalism.

There is another Fief manipulating food production. Monsanto has been promoting GMO food as the answer to meet the food needs of the growing world population with higher yield by using genetically modified plants. Farmers are totally beholden to Monsanto for their seeds (e.g. soy, sugar beets, corn, cotton, etc.) as the farmers are not permitted to save seeds due to the company’s patent. The Union of the Concerned Scientists (US) reminds that there are traditional ways of boosting crop yield with proper trade policies for managing inputs such as fertilisers and irrigation. According to this group of academics there is evidence that Monsanto’s genetically modified (GM) crops are not guaranteed salvation for food shortage.

A closer to our daily life is hardware and software we use. There are just two software giants who control word processing globally; 90% of the market is between MS-Office and Google Workspace. Until about fifteen years ago when you bought a computer it was already pre-loaded with MS-Office. For about a decade the customers have to buy the MS-Office, a one-time purchase. But in 2022 Microsoft started to rent it for as long as you need them rather than selling to its customers. If one goes for one time purchase there are no security patches or upgrades. The latest news is that MS-Office will be phased out by Microsoft-365 rental sometime in 2024. It is way beyond the cost of developing the programme and profit. The CEOs of tech giants have become the Tech Fiefs with total control over its customers globally. There are no more competitions as these two giants have pushed out all the competitors out of the market.

There are similar arrangements in the housing and heavy-duty appliances market. With people’s income not keeping pace with inflation, the wealth distribution will continue to be skewed. One like it or not, our modern Fiefs are reshaping the economy and people’s lives globally. Free market is supposed to offer choices for people but on the contrary it seems to have narrowed the market. The modern-day unelected Fiefs have gradually taken over governance. How long will democracy survive?

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