The Hidden History of American Oligarchy

Reclaiming Our Democracy from the Ruling Class

De: Thom Hartmann

Narrado por: Sean Pratt

Thom Hartmann, the most popular progressive radio host in America and a New York Times best-selling author, looks at the history of the battle against oligarchy in America - and how we can win the latest round.

Billionaire oligarchs want to own our republic, and they’re nearly there, thanks to legislation and Supreme Court decisions that they have essentially bought. They put Trump and his political allies into office and support a vast network of think tanks, publications, and social media that every day push our nation closer and closer to police-state tyranny.

The United States was born in a struggle against the oligarchs of the British aristocracy, and ever since then, the history of America has been one of dynamic tension between democracy and oligarchy. And much like the shock of the 1929 crash woke America up to glaring inequality and the ongoing theft of democracy by that generation’s oligarchs, the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 has laid bare how extensively oligarchs have looted our nation’s economic system, gutted governmental institutions, and stolen the wealth of the former middle class.

Thom Hartmann traces the history of this struggle against oligarchy from America’s founding to the United States’ war with the feudal confederacy to President Franklin Roosevelt’s struggle against “economic royalists” who wanted to block the New Deal. In each of those cases, the oligarchs lost the battle. But with increasing right-wing control of the media, unlimited campaign contributions, and a conservative takeover of the judicial system, we’re at a crisis point.

Now is the time for action, before we flip into tyranny. We’ve beaten the oligarchs before, and we can do it again. Hartmann lays out practical measures we can take to break up media monopolies, limit the influence of money in politics, reclaim the wealth stolen over decades by the oligarchy, and build a movement that will return control of America to we, the people.

©2020 Thom Hartmann (P)2020 Thom Hartmann

Must Read!

If there was a required reading list for every American citizen, this book should be a the top!

Excellent

Could not stop listening....will use it as reference material moving forward. Highly recommend to everyone wanting to know how America got so messed up.

New information with history

Have already mailed copies to friends. I will be listening again, in order
To discuss with people.

THE BEST

I will be getting more books by Hartman. This is the best kindle and audible I have.

Enjoyed it

I remember the 1980's because that's when I started my working career that alter my career path. I now understand more and more how the classes system works to stay in control by any means necessary. It's time these few people be given a taste of their own medicine. I wish more people would wake up and open their own eyes to this once and for all. A house divided doesn't work for us all. No matter what. The next generations needs to pull together the county to get rid this practice.

Required reading

Should be required reading in all colleges worldwide, along with some of Thom’s other works.

Wake up and read this book

We all know that Washington is broken. This book explains why. We need to stop this. Thom Hartman is a brave and honorable man.

Very very informative!

A must read or listen for all Americans. Amazing how much I've learned. But then I do every day with the Hartmann report podcast. The reason being that I'm trying to understand, as a Dutch person, why things are the way they are. So thank you.

Excellent knowledge of Oligarchy

I thought this was an extremely informative book given what is currently happening in America. I write this review on 2/23/2025.

Very informative

How is it that in a country based on democracy, such as ours, I have never heard the word oligarchy before? I am the same age as Thom Hartmann and I should know this. It should have been mandatory reading. It is what we should be looking out for to keep our country free from things like Fascism and dictators.