The economy is formally totalitarian while politics is formally democratic.

Evidence

The U.S. economy is a formally totalitarian system in which the actions of the vast majority (workers) are controlled by a small minority (owners and managers). Yet this totalitarian system is embedded in a formally democratic political system which promotes the norms— if not the practice— of equality, justice, and reciprocity. — Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis, Schooling in Capitalist America, 577

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines the central conceptual pairing of formal economic totalitarianism versus formal political democracy.
• XREF: connects to: Capitalist functioning requires minimizing worker participation and maximizing minority control. — Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis, Schooling in Capitalist America:…, 579; Formal political equality masks deep economic servitude that hollows out democracy — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism: An Intervention, 406; Totalitarian political regimes are symptoms of deeper economic systematization (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Formal political equality masks deep economic servitude that hollows out democracy #corroborates (0.95) — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 406
• Democracy genuinely threatens capitalist economic priorities, so capitalism is antidemocratic. #complicates (0.80) — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 372
• Totalitarian political regimes are symptoms of deeper economic systematization #corroborates (0.75)
• Totalitarian power operates independently of material interest and profit motives #qualifies (0.70) — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 938