Thread by @ljin18

Today, it seems inconceivable that for much of human history, people accepted the 'divine right' of monarchs as a legitimate source of power.

Years from now, we may look back on this era and wonder why we were accepting of autocratic companies led by 'enlightened dictators.'

For much of human history, people lived under authoritarian/monarchical forms of government.

In the late 17th century, republican forms of government arose, inspired by conceptions of natural rights developed during the Enlightenment. >50% of the world now lives in a democracy.

The American and French Revolutions were major contributors to the growth of representative governments.

The Springtime of Nations in 1848 was a revolutionary wave affecting 50 countries in Europe, wherein people demanded more participation in government, economic rights, etc.

In the private sector, we are now in a moment in which DAOs--decentralized autonomous organizations--are forming among members who have shared missions, ownership, and voice in their operations, mirroring the historic rise of political democracy.

Workplace democracy isn't new: cooperatives emerged during the Industrial Revolution, wherein workers would own & control businesses.

But as @jessewldn wrote, co-ops have historically suffered from limited access to capital and coordination issues.

jessewalden.com/past-present-f…

But new DAO coordination and governance tools, and the ability for tokens to attract outside capital, give us a shot at addressing the issues that have plagued co-ops, and a shot at building internet communities that can rival the competitiveness of any centrally-controlled org.

Hundreds of years from now, it will seem inconceivable that people didn't have ownership--economically or governance-wise--in the structures that occupy most of our waking hours and that we pour so much of our energy into.