their is some devil in the detail around that - elite classes spring up as quick as you kill them, they are called networks... im still of the impression that people do rise up the ranks, will have to chase up more info on that before i really defend that stance
i was being somewhat obnoxious to the question of the thread, cant help but shake the feeling their isnt as much difference as westerners claim.
if we had more grassroots democracy with more localised parties all squabbling away, and less centralised federal power, i could make a clean distinction - the current system of increasingly remote and large institutions is making the differences more and more moot to my tastes.