Contrary to Marxist theory, revolutions are often initiated by an excess of educated elites, not the working class. Unable to find a suitable place in the economy, these elites adopt a resentment-fueled ideology of "oppressed vs. oppressor" learned in academia.

As AI automates entry-level white-collar jobs, a growing number of college graduates will face unemployment. This creates what historian Peter Turchin calls 'elite overproduction'—people educated for elite roles with no positions to fill. This disenfranchised group is a prime demographic for socialist movements.

The French Revolution wasn't a workers' uprising but was led by an 'overproduction of elites'—educated individuals who felt entitled to high-status jobs they couldn't get. This suggests social upheaval is often driven by downwardly mobile, educated classes whose expectations are unmet.

It's rarely the workers who rise up. It is the "overproduced elites"—educated individuals whose high expectations are unmet by their economic reality—who spearhead revolutionary movements fueled by resentment.

History shows that social stability is threatened not by the long-suffering poor, but by a disgruntled, overeducated middle class. AI's displacement of junior roles in tech and law creates a cohort of indebted graduates who played by the rules but now face unemployment. This group is far more likely to cause political and social unrest.

The emotional core of modern socialist and communist appeal is resentment. The satisfaction is derived more from the act of confiscating wealth from the successful than from redistributing it to help others. This explains its persistence despite consistent historical and economic failures.

When society pushes more people into higher education for roles the market doesn't demand, it creates "overproduced elites." This leads to a class of resentful, highly-educated but under-employed people—a historical precursor to social and political instability like the French Revolution.

The 'overproduction of elites' theory suggests that societal unrest is driven not by those truly suffering, but by highly educated individuals who feel the system has denied them the power and status they deserve. Their personal frustration, not objective hardship, fuels their desire to dismantle the establishment.

When society produces more highly-educated graduates than there are suitable jobs, a large group emerges whose high expectations are unmet. This "elite overproduction" creates a sense of grievance and entitlement, making them receptive to socialist ideas that promise to rectify perceived injustices.