Episode 101: US Democracy and Oligarchy episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 15, 2025 · 20 MIN

Episode 101: US Democracy and Oligarchy

from The Y in History · host Ajay Kaul

In 2010, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case that corporations (and, by extension, unions and other groups) may make unlimited expenditures on messages encouraging votes for or against specific candidates, so long as they're not coordinated with candidates or parties. This gave birth to Super PACs and a foray of oligarchs in the US democratic process. The first group of oligarchs though, influenced US democracy in the late 19th Century during the gilded era. With the Tech oligarchs at the helm in 2025, lot more is at stake than just election influence.

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Episode 101: US Democracy and Oligarchy

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In 2010, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case that corporations (and, by extension, unions and other groups) may make unlimited expenditures on messages encouraging votes for or against specific...

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