The macro-political reality of the 20th century (age of industrial military technology) favored systems that could consolidate the most military power, efficiently or not

Communist autocracies and capitalist democratic welfare states were the most successful

Communist autocracies controlled the means of production in order to maximize wealth extraction

And used terror/force and nationalism to create compliance

To fund and resource massive militaries

Capitalist democratic welfare states allowed independent wealth production, then taxed it heavily

And encouraged compliance through transfer payments (welfare programs, subsidies) and nationalism

To fund and resource massive militaries

Ultimately, capitalist democratic welfare states were more stable as mass media made it impossible for communist autocracies to prevent subversion/rebellion

Now, decentralization and the internet are making it impossible for capitalist democratic welfare states to prevent subversion/rebellion

It appears that technocratic autocracies (China) have become more effective, at least temporarily

But even technocratic autocracies will not survive the 21st century

The most successful countries in the next century will be those that provide cost-efficient services and rights protection

The next 100 years will see the rise of the “sovereign individual”

Citizens who can live and work where they want, and are not easily taxable

Countries will have to compete for their tax base

It works both ways: you will have to pay into the system (no welfare)

Watch for cartelization on the fringes (breakaway communities run by criminals)

These will lead to corporate states (imagine if Amazon provided cost-effective government services)

And autonomous city-states or region-states (which more people will be comfortable with)

This isn’t a value judgment, it’s simply a recognition of what will occur when tax bases are ruined by decentralization:

Smaller governments competing for that tax base, by providing security, essential services, and rights protection

This is a process that will take 20-30 years

You can start preparing today

Position yourself with skills and knowledge to work from anywhere on the internet

Pay close attention to crypto; it’s hard to say which currencies will win out

Owning property is not as important