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English
Etymology
Blend of dumb + democracy or dumb + -o- + -cracy. First use appears c. 1869.
Noun
dumbocracy (usually uncountable, plural dumbocracies)
- (slang, derogatory) A democracy, particularly an ineffective or dysfunctional one.
1869 September 30, “Democratic Hot Shot from a Republican Standpoint”, in John T. Raper, editor, The Vinton Record, volume 20, number 6 (whole 995), McArthur, Oh., →ISSN, page , column 3:Democratic Hot Shot from a Republican Standpoint. Don’t vote for [George Hunt] Pendleton and poverty. The dumbocracy and aristocracy all support Pendleton and poverty. […] The Democracy are economical. That’s the reason they fail to pay the interest on the State debt, and pocketed the cash instead. No economy about paying your debts, from a Democratic standpoint.
1980, Whole Earth Catalog (publisher), The Coevolution Quarterly - Issues 28-29, page 25:Dumbocracy in action. Is fatal --- get thee behind me, God!
1985, New Zealand Parliament, Parliamentary Debates, Legislative Council and House of Representatives, Volume 468, page 9057:It is more like a "dumbocracy" that the Minister of Energy might recognise.
1994, John Reed Club, New York Branch (contributor), Partisan Review - Volume 61, page 713:The democratization of art and culture for political purposes will only make us dumber than we are, and dumbocracy in America is presently at its height.
2016, Michael Faust, The Case For Meritocracy:The only reason they agreed to dumbocracy and was that they saw how it would deliver up a servile, compliant, docile population who would delude themselves that they were "free" and in charge, hence would never revolt.