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.

The energy in modern leftist movements often comes not from the oppressed but from an overeducated and underemployed class. Their resentment stems from the large gap between the life they expected and their actual circumstances, making them susceptible to revolutionary ideas.

Despite a privileged background and education, Marx chose poverty and critique over participation in the economy. This reflects the 'overproduced elite' phenomenon: highly educated individuals whose resentment of a system prevents them from using their skills within it, even to their own benefit.

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.

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.

Historian Peter Turchin argues that when a society creates more credentialed elites than it can place in high-status roles, the disillusioned group forms a "counter-elite." This faction then uses its skills to challenge and destabilize the very system that it feels betrayed by, potentially leading to revolution.

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.