Aaron Schwartz / EPA
Elon Musk e Donald Trump
Although the idea of fusing the US with Groelândia and Canada is now in the mouths of the world with Trump’s threats, the idea is not new and has roots in the technocratic movement that has gained strength after the great depression.
A movement that intended to merge North America in one nation and widening its borders to the Panama canal may seem incredibly familiar.
But this group, called “technocracy movement”It was a group of nonconformists from the 1930s with great ideas on how to reorganize US society.
They proposed a vision that would eliminate waste and make North America highly productive through the use of technology and science.
Technocrats, sometimes also designated by technocracy inc, proposed fusion of Canada, Grolândia, Mexico, the US and parts of Central America in a single continental unit.
To that called “Technate”Unity should be governed by technocratic principles and not by national borders and traditional political divisions.
These ideas seem to resonate with some recent statements by the Trump administration about US fusion with Canada.
However, the US Government Efficiency Department (Doge), created by Trump and led by Elon Musk technology billionaire, also outlined a view of efficiency cuts through reduction of bureaucracy and jobs and the elimination of leaders from organizations and civil servants who consider it to promote “Woke” values (as diversity initiatives).
This cut -out approach also fits some of the ideas of technocrats.
In February, Musk said, “We really have the mastery of bureaucracy as opposed to the dominance of the people – democracy.” Technocrats saw the elected politicians as incompetent. Defended their Substitution by experts In Science and Engineering, which would “objectively” resources to the benefit of society.
“The people voted in a great government reform And that’s what the people will have, ”Musk told reporters after visiting the White House in February.
What did the technocrats want to get rid of?
Based on a book called Tecnocracy, published in 1921 by an engineer called Walter Henry Smythwhich captured new ideas on management and science.
The movement gained significant attention during the great depression, a period of mass unemployment and economic problems that lasted from 1929 to 1939. It was a time when generalized economic failures raised radical ideas for a systemic change.
Tecnoocracy appealed to those who saw technological advances as a potential solution for economic inefficiency and inequality.
The technocrats have gained strength largely due to the work of Howard Scott, an engineer and economist, along with a group of engineers and academics from the University of Columbia. In 1932, Scott founded the Technical Alliance, which later evolved to the Technocracy Inc.
Scott and his followers gave lectures, published leaflets and attracted a significant number of followers, especially among engineers, scientists and progressive thinkers.
The movement may have influenced the conception of future conceptslike planned communities and the most automated economies.
The ideological basis of the movement was based on the conviction that production and industrial distribution should be scientifically managed. Defenders argued that traditional economic systems, such as capitalism and socialism, were inefficient and prone to corruptionbut that a scientifically planned economy could guarantee abundance, stability and justice.
In the 1930s, members of Technocracy Inc sought to replace market economies and political governance with a system where experts made decisions based on data, efficiency and technological viability. Technocrats aimed to regulate consumption and production with Base in Energy Efficiencyinstead of market forces.
Technocrats also believed that mechanization and automation could eliminate much of the need for human labor, reducing working hours and maintaining productivity. Goods and services would be distributed based on scientific calculations of necessity and sustainability.
Although the movement registered a rapid growth in the early 1930s, Lost the impetus quickly in mid and the late 1930s.
Echoing some of the concerns of contemporary Americans, critics feared that a government directed by non -elected experts would lead to an authoritarian form of government, in which decisions were made without public participation or democratic control.
Does technocracy be reborn?
But will we be watching a rebirth of some of these ideas in 2025? Musk has a family connection with the movement, so he is likely to be aware of him. Your maternal grandfather, Joshua N. Haldemanit was a remarkable figure in the movement of technocracy in Canada during the 1930s and 1940s.
Musk developments, such as the Tesla electric car giant, their Spacex space program and the Neuralink neurotechnology company, give priority to innovation and automation, which aligns with the vision of the technocrats to optimize human civilization through scientific and technological means.
Tesla’s impulse for the creation of autonomous vehicles fed by renewable energy, for example, is in tune with the initial aspirations of the movement to an energy efficient energy and managed by machines.
In addition, the Spacex ambition to colonize Mars It reflects the belief that technological ingenuity can exceed the limitations of life on earth.
What Trump would disagree
There are, however, some significant differences between the current US government and technocrats. Musk’s approach to commerce remains firmly rooted in the free market.
Their enterprises thrive based on competition and private initiative rather than the centralized planning and directed by experts. And while the technocrats believed in the abolition of moneywages and traditional forms of commerce, the Trump administration clearly does not believe.
Trump believes that politicians like him should drive the country along with partners like Musk. Technocrats were concerned that the elected politicians were moved by self -interestbut the current US administration seems to value the mix of commercial interests with government decisions.
Although the movement of technocracy has never become a dominant force, their ideas influenced later discussions on topics such as scientific management and economic planning.
The concept of data based on data, defended by the movement of technocracy, It is part of modern planningespecially in areas such as energy efficiency and urban planning.
The rise of AI and Big Data rekindled discussions about the role (and range) of technocracy in modern society. In countries such as Singapore and China, governance is dominated by departments headed by people with technological education, who acquire an elite status.
In the 1930s, the technocrats faced significant criticism. Unions, more powerful than today, They almost entirely supported the New Deal Progressive and their protection of workers’ rights, not technocrats.
The resurgence of US public belief in the US government during the age of New Deal It was much larger than the decline of current support to their political institutions, so that these institutions would be better equipped to resist the challenges of what they are today.
The Tecnocracy Movement of the 1930s may have disappearedbut their central ideas continue to shape contemporary debates about the intersection between technology and government planning.
