--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The basis of bureaucratic rule is the…" description: "\"The basis of bureaucratic rule is the poverty of society in objects of consumption, with the resulting struggle of each against all. When there is enou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/919/leon-trotsky-2558_bases_the-basis-of-bureaucratic-rule-is-the-po_1553448.jpg" --- # The basis of bureaucratic rule is the poverty of society… ![“The basis of bureaucratic rule is the poverty of society in objects of consumption, with the resulting struggle of each against all. When there is enough goods in a store, the purchasers can come whenever they want to. When there is little goods, the purchasers are compelled to stand in line. When…” quote by Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/919/leon-trotsky-2558_bases_the-basis-of-bureaucratic-rule-is-the-po_1553448.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/919/leon-trotsky-2558_bases_the-basis-of-bureaucratic-rule-is-the-po_1553448.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/919/leon-trotsky-2558_bases_the-basis-of-bureaucratic-rule-is-the-po_1553448.jpg) > “The basis of bureaucratic rule is the poverty of society in objects of consumption, with the resulting struggle of each against all. When there is enough goods in a store, the purchasers can come whenever they want to. When there is little goods, the purchasers are compelled to stand in line. When the lines are very long, it is necessary to appoint a policeman to keep order. Such is the starting point of the power of the Soviet bureaucracy. It "knows" who is to get something and who has to wait.” [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Scarcity forces bureaucratic control, turning ordinary people into subjects of authority. **In simple terms:** Lack of goods creates power structures. Key Takeaway Recognize how scarcity fuels control. Themes economics power bureaucracy scarcity social control Mood critical analytical Type political philosophical When to use this quote - grocery lines - housing queues - healthcare access - public services Key Concepts Marxist theory resource allocation state authority Questions to Reflect On - What systems exist that control even without scarcity? - How can societies reduce bureaucratic overreach? A Different Perspective When resources are abundant, bureaucracy may still persist for other reasons. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bases/) [Basis Bureaucratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basis-bureaucratic-5811028/) [Bureaucracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bureaucracy/) [Bureaucratic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bureaucratic/) [Bureaucratic Rule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bureaucratic-rule-5811027/) [Compelled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compelled/) [Consumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consumption/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Goods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goods/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Objects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objects/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Policemen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policemen/) [Poverty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poverty/) [Purchasers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purchasers/) [Scarcity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scarcity/) [Socialism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socialism/) [Soviet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet/) [Soviet Bureaucracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet-bureaucracy-5811029/) [Soviet union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soviet-union/) [Starting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starting/) [Starting point](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starting-point/) [Stores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stores/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [When self-interest inclines a man to print, he should consider that the purchaser expects a pennyworth for his penny, and has reason to asperse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shenstone/when-self-interest-inclines-a-man-to-print-he-should-consider-that/) [William Shenstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shenstone/) > [A leading scholar of Basra visited Rabi'a al-Adawiyya while she was ill. ting beside her pillow, the scholar spoke about how terrible the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabia-basri/a-leading-scholar-of-basra-visited-rabi-a-al-adawiyya-while-she-was/) [Rabia Basri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabia-basri/) > [But even in the absence of direct interference by those who had the power to interfere, the process was usually aborted by the non-availability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-wallerstein/but-even-in-the-absence-of-direct-interference-by-those-who-had-the/) [Immanuel Wallerstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-wallerstein/) > [We are apt to consider that invention is the result of spontaneous action of some heavenborn genius, whose advent we must patiently wait for,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ambrose-fleming/we-are-apt-to-consider-that-invention-is-the-result-of-spontaneous/) [John Ambrose Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ambrose-fleming/) > [Once the government can demand of a publisher the names of the purchasers of his publication, the free press as we know it disappears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/once-the-government-can-demand-of-a-publisher-the-names-of-the/) [William O. 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