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*#REDIRECT [[Hydraulic empire]]▼
'''Hydraulic despotism''' is a term for [[despot|despotic rule]] supported by control of a single, necessary resource. The term was coined by the German theorist [[Karl A. Wittfogel]] in his work, ''Oriental Despotism'' in 1957. In its original instances, it was literally [[water]] that was controlled - in [[Ancient Egypt]] and [[Babylonia]], (as by extension, Wittfogel argued, the contemporary [[Soviet Union]] and [[People's Republic of China]]) the [[government]] controlled the irrigation channels. Good, loyal subjects received plentiful water for their [[agriculture|crops]], while less-loyal "bad" subjects were starved of water so that they and their crops died. The term can be used to indicate any tyrannical rule propped up by control of a vital resource. Whether this term can apply to a (near-)[[monopoly]] on something more esoteric, for example [[technology]] development, is debatable.
==In fiction==
[[Frank Herbert]]'s [[Dune (novel)|Dune]] establishes a universe centered on a hydraulic despotism: The spice, [[Melange]], is essential for, among other things, space travel; it is said that "He who controls the spice controls the universe".
In the film [[Total Recall (movie)|Total Recall]], the air on [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] is controlled by a central authority, which acts as a hydraulic despot.
In the comic strip [[Tank Girl]], the water and power are controlled by a central authority ("Water & Power").
== See also ==
▲*[[Hydraulic empire]]
*[[Oriental despotism]]
[[Category:Political systems]]
[[de:Hydraulische Gesellschaft]]
[[el:Υδραυλικός δεσποτισμός]]
[[es:Despotismo hidráulico]]
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