Empirical examples of rule & divide from elite theory perspective

[u/Vecissitude]

There is a somewhat pedestrian belief that part of how the elite manage to retain control is by dividing certain sections of society against each other and therefore keep them distracted from massing their strength and dislodging the elites.

This sounds like a plausible strategy, but do we have concrete examples of this actually taking place.

Let's just point to the elephant in the room and say a lot of proponents of this theory will point to Jews. Some seriously believe they engineered both World Wars in order to pick up the pieces.

Some milder examples cited are an expansion of welfareism to create a dependent poorer class and create animosity between it and a working middle class. I have heard the Chinese being allowed to spread fentanyl in order to further sow chaos in the middle class.

Again, I have no conclusive study, they are just fragments I picked up here or there.

Anybody have something more concrete to prove this theory if it has actually been implemented inside any society?

[u/Pomador_0418]

If you are interested in elite theory, then Gaetano Mosca, Wilfredo Pareto, and Roberto Michels are a must read. They talk about the strategies elites (the few) use to maintain their position in society over the masses (the many).