History Main / PrivatelyOwnedSociety

Usually, it is a Straw Dystopia created by a [[UsefulNotes/PoliticalIdeologies nationalist, social liberal, conservative, socialist, communist, social/communitarian anarchist, or otherwise not anarcho-capitalist/classic-liberal/libertarian]][[note]] Nationalists hate the idea that of the nation-state being subordinated to non-national actors. Modern/Social liberals hate the idea that the state would not be powerful enough to protect people from the abuse of power by private actors like corporations and crime syndicates or to protect workers' rights. Conservatives are leery of unnecessary, unprecedented, and undesirable change - only conservatives who were also
market liberals/libertarians might approve of such a society. Socialists hate the idea of an unequal society wherein the poor and weak are not looked after with compassion and kindness. Communists hate the idea of a state that is run for the benefit of the bourgeoise and tramples upon the rights of the worker, but would remain hopeful that such a dystopia would lead to a (succesful) revolution by the oppressed poor and lead to the end of Capitalism. Lastly, Social/Communitarian Anarchists hate the idea of any kind of social order that is in any way oppressive or removed from the basic goodness/decency of face-to-face interactions, as a society run by faceless corporations (with no oversight) would be. [[/note]] author. More rarely, it can be {{Utopia}} created by a libertarian, Objectivist, anarcho-capitalist, miniarchist, or otherwise pro-corporate author.

->''"We've given it a fair chance, it's failed, and now the private sector will have to swoop in to fix it. If you privatize the legislature, I can assure you it'll be humming efficiently and in the black by this time next year!"''
-->-- '''An economic analyst''', Website/NationStates issue #294

* The webseries ''WebAnimation/MundoUltimateNewsCp'' features a post-apocalyptic anarchocapitalist society. The Icetown smart city in the year 2090 is controlled by underwater quantum supercomputers of advanced artificial intelligence.

market liberals/libertarians might approve of such a society. Socialists hate the idea of an unequal society wherein the poor and weak are not looked after with compassion and kindness. Communists hate the idea of a state that is run for the benefit of the bourgeoise and tramples upon the rights of the worker, but would remain hopeful that such a dystopia would lead to a (succesful) revolution by the oppressed poor and lead to the end of Capitalism. Lastly, Social/Communitarian Anarchists hate the idea of any kind of social order that is in any way oppressive or removed from the basic goodness/decency of face-to-face interactions, as a society run by faceless corporations (with no oversight) would be. [[/note]] author. More rarely, it can be MarySuetopia created by a libertarian, Objectivist, anarcho-capitalist, miniarchist, or otherwise pro-corporate author.

Usually, it is a Straw Dystopia created by a [[UsefulNotes/PoliticalIdeologies nationalist, social liberal, conservative, socialist, communist, social/communitarian anarchist, or otherwise not anarcho-capitalist/classic-liberal/libertarian]][[note]] Nationalists hate the idea that of the nation-state being subordinated to non-national actors. Modern/Social liberals hate the idea that the state would not be powerful enough to protect people from the abuse of power by private actors like corporations and crime syndicates or to protect workers rights. Conservatives are leery of unnecessary, unprecedented, and undesirable change - only conservatives who were also
market liberals/libertarians might approve of such a society. Socialists hate the idea of an unequal society wherein the poor and weak are not looked after with compassion and kindness. Communists hate the idea of a state that is run for the benefit of the bourgeoise and tramps upon the rights of the worker, but would remain hopeful that such a dystopia would lead to a (succesful) revolution by the oppressed poor and lead to the end of Capitalism. Lastly, Social/Communitarian Anarchists hate the idea of any kind of social order that is in any way oppressive or removed from the basic goodness/decency of face-to-face interactions, as a society run by faceless corporations (with no oversight) would be. [[/note]] author. More rarely, it can be MarySuetopia created by a libertarian, Objectivist, anarcho-capitalist, miniarchist, or otherwise pro-corporate author.

* In Michael Z. Williamson's ''Freehold'' and its sequels, the eponymous ''Freehold of Grainne'' is this all over. It avoids being either U- or Dys-topia. Unless you ask happy Citizen [[UnreliableNarrator Mark Ballanger]], but he ''knows'' he's partial.

* The town of Harrington in the 1989 made-for-television film ''Polly'' is pretty much entirely run by the title character's aunt. She even controls the preacher's sermons.

*** Bakwanga (today Mbuji-Mayi) was build and owned by the [=MiBa=][[note]]For '''''Mi'''nière de '''Ba'''kwanga''[[/note]], who mined diamonds there, and sometimes ''destroyed buildings in order to access the gems''!

* UsefulNotes/{{Objectivism}}, Anarcho-Capitalism, and Market Liberalism (aka "Libertarianism" in the USA) consider a society dominated by non-state actors to be ideal. Though the three agree that The Free Market Will Provide (Prosperity For All), that there should be little to no government regulation of society and people's behavior, and no public efforts to save the sick or needy, they squabble over the details. However, Anarcho-Capitalism is the only one to envision a society with ''no government whatsoever''-that being where the whole 'Anarcho' bit comes from-but instead absolutely everything being run by syndicates or corporations[[note]] The possibility that these non-state actors could end up governing society in a manner little different to that of a, well, regular government is why Anarcho-Capitalists and Social/Communitarian Anarchists are so irreconcilably opposed to one another[[/note]]. The Objectivists and Classical Liberals think this would be a terrible idea because they're sure that a functional society requires a military and legal/justice system.

-->--'''An economic analyst''', Website/NationStates issue #294

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Manga/RikiOh'' is all about this and why it's a bad idea. In the post-apocalyptic setting, all formerly government run programs from schools to prisons are privately owned. A dystopic example, as corruption and human rights violation abounds. Though considering, the CrapsackWorld they live in, they probably had no other choice, what with lack of funding due to ''[[EndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt nuclear holocaust]]''.

* The town of Harrington in ''Film/{{Polly}}'' is pretty much entirely run by the title character's aunt. She even controls the preacher's sermons.

* As mentioned above, ''Film/RikiOhTheStoryOfRicky''.

* Some of L. Neil Smith's novels, particularly ''The Probability Broach''.
* Creator/NealStephenson's ''The Diamond Age'' and ''Literature/SnowCrash''. There aren't really that many state governments around and they don't have any real power. Instead private companies and other non-profit organizations have their own gated communities all over the world, inside of which they have complete territorial sovereignty.

* In the Literature/VorkosiganSaga, Jackson's Whole is like this. It's ''loathsome''.
* ''Literature/TheSpaceMerchants'' ''is'' this.
* ''Literature/RatsBatsAndVats'' has this, springing out of an attempt to create a socialist society GoneHorriblyWrong.

* Creator/JohnCWright's ''[[Literature/TheGoldenOecumene The Golden Age]]'', for the most part.
* The short story ''Transaction'' by Redfern Barrett takes place in a world where every interaction involves a automatic financial transaction - from violence to breastfeeding. Needless to say, CrapsackWorld.
* In ''Literature/StarBridge'' by Jack Williamson and James Gunn, the entire human-occupied universe is essentially a Company Town for the Eron Corporation, which [[spoiler: thinks it]] controls the secret of the Tubes, the "star bridges" of the title.

* This is the case in ''TabletopGame/{{Cosmopol}}'', which is an [[UsefulNotes/{{Objectivism}} Objectivist]], DieselPunk alternate future. Virtually every "state" service that exists in our world is owned by Cosmopol's private sector. You can use an express line at the Department of Motor Vehicles if you have a "preferred buyer" card.
* This runs rampant in ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'', which is no surprise, given its cyberpunk background. Most metropolitan police services were replaced in the 2020s by a private contractor called Lone Star after nation-wide police strikes, and most emergency medical care is run by a private firm called [=DocWagon=] (most runners have a contract with them).

* Corporations in ''TabletopGames/{{Cyberpunk}}'' have taken over various State functions, such as [[LawEnforcementInc police]], in their [[CompanyTown neighbourhoods]], after the States ceased to provide some services becauses of the various wars and economic crisis; they have even [[PrivateArmy private armies]].

* Andrew Ryan's underwater Objectivist project called "Rapture" in ''VideoGame/{{BioShock|1}}''. Unfortunately, a combination of Ryan being a {{Hypocrite}}, his rival being power-lusting, and the discovery of an [[ICantBelieveItsNotHeroin insanely addictive]] PsychoSerum [[MagicGenetics gene splicing substance]] named ADAM brought down said project. Some interpret the game as a {{deconstruction}} of Objectivism, but this is denied by WordOfGod (which states that the game's message is HumansAreFlawed and thus cannot live up to their ideals).
** Zachary Comstock's theocratic utopia Columbia from ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'' wasn't created with this in mind, as it was founded to be a New Eden for adherents to Comstock's version of Christianity (a very fundamentalist version combined with Gilded Age American jingoism taken to an extreme), but became this trope anyway thanks to Jeremiah Fink, the industrialist controlling the economic aspects of Columbia (i.e all the people doing the dirty work the upper class don't want to do). As a result, the "utopia" part is a very thin layer over what is essentially a gigantic CompanyTown where the underclass lives and works in Fink's factories, Fink's houses, they're even only paid in Fink's company scrip that can only be used in his stores.

* Corporatist Republics in ''VideoGame/CallToPower'' are described as countries where [[MegaCorp Mega-Corps]] have taken over functions of their jurisdictions when these States started to collapse.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', the [[MegaCorp Shinra Corporation]] own and runs everything, and we do mean ''everything''. They have the only army in the world (there is talk about a war with {{Wutai}} in the past), are the only power suppliers in the world, the only space programme ever, and they exert obvious political control over most cities and towns, especially in the first continent you start on. The capital city of Midgar is directly run by them and their HQ is the centre of the city; as the mayor laments to you, his job is just a title. The bosses at Shinra seem to agree with him.
** Shinra's claim to fame (and dominance) seems to be that they control everything they manufactured in self-investment--which happens to be ''all'' the modern cities in the world (Midgar, Junon, Gold Saucer). All other communities tend to be small and largely agricultural. If the company wants to exert its control elsewhere, they have to do it through military might--which is brutally effective in places like Old Corel, but ineffectual to the pre-Shinra Midgar slums, where Shinra's police force is very fearful, runs the trains, and politely asks the player not to cause trouble.

* Illium in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' is an independent Asari colony just outside the borders of Citadel Space. It has easy access to pretty much all the goods and services one finds in Citadel Space, but none of the laws and regulations. On the street you can hear people openly talking about large shipments of drugs, buying military weapons to join mercenary companies well known for their criminal activities, and buying stocks based on exploiting humanitarian disasters. All the advertisements from the loudspeakers either include health warning, unless it is urgent recalls of products which of course never posed any danger to customers but need to be returned immediately. It's a WretchedHive of Scum and Villany, but it is clean and sophisticated. Interestingly, in the [[VideoGame/MassEffect3 third game]], Illium's massive wealth does have a good result: the planet's elite are able to raise and equip a staggeringly powerful mercenary army capable of fighting the Reapers off for weeks, which is something that only the turians could boast of doing. In contrast, Earth and Thessia were already on the ropes after only a few days of Reapers laying siege...

* In ''VideoGame/{{Subnautica}}'', the Alterra Corporation, the PlayerCharacter's employers, is a "trans-gov," a political entity that controls one or more star systems and the [[PortalNetwork phase gates]] required to travel between them. The citizens on its worlds are considered the corporation's employees, and Alterra insists that it has no legal obligation to care for them, but voluntarily provides services traditionally handled by democratically-elected governments. All off-planet trade must take place under the Alterra brand, but private enterprise is encouraged within Alterra space, and successful entrepreneurs have their businesses bought out by Alterra and thus earn their place on the company's Board of Directors. This corporate, hyper-capitalistic mindset even seems to extend to personal relationships, and one document in the game refers to love as another commodity to be traded the same as company stock. Even in a crisis situation, Alterra maintains that any resources its employees gather are company property, hence your PDA reacting to you mining your first diamond with a reminder that your balance with the company now stands at three million credits. [[spoiler:And at the end of the game, when you escape that alien planet you crashed on, you're informed that you'll be allowed to land in Alterra space when you settle your outstanding balance of one ''trillion'' credits.]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Syndicate}}'' is set in a future when governments have been more or less displaced by [[RuleOfThree three]] massive corporations (one European, one American and one Far Eastern) - but the consequent absence of any real law enforcement has allowed those companies, in turn, to be taken over by the eponymous criminal gangs.

[[folder: Web Comics]]

* In ''WebComic/RomanticallyApocalyptic'', everything - and by that we mean ''everything'' - was owned by the GOOD Directorate, Inc. until their supercomputer ANNET went insane.

* ''[[Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale Night Vale]]'''s rival town, Desert Bluffs, is owned entirely by [[EvilInc [=StrexCorp=] Synernists Inc]].
** And Night Vale itself is under the thumb of Marcus Vansten, [[IdleRich the richest man in town]][[spoiler: Unusually for such a character, however, Marcus ends up becoming the BigGood for a time]].

** Political issues on private property are discussed as well as the obsession of the city's creator [[MegaCorp [=GlobalWide=] Corporation]]. Which intended to create the perfect utopia with its liberal and progressive ideology.

[[folder: Western Animation]]
* Spoofed in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E2YouOnlyMoveTwice You Only Move Twice]]", where Homer gets a job for the fictional MegaCorp Globex Corporation and the family moves to Cypress Creek, a town owned and operated by Globex Corp. for its employees, with its own school, shopping center and boardwalk among other things, and presumably all public services are run by the company. The spoof part is that the BenevolentBoss Homer works for, Hank Scorpio, is actually a Film/JamesBond-style supervillain ([[BenevolentBoss who's genuinely nice to his employees]]), so Cyprus Creek also has its own private army good enough to take on the United States military and a doomsday device apparently capable of destroying France (or Italy, but no one ever chooses Italy over France). By the end of the episode, Scorpio has seized control of the East Coast and not only buys Homer the Denver Broncos, he has the entire team shipped to his front door.

* ''VideoGame/SecondLife'' could be viewed as a virtual version of this trope.

* The [[http://galciv.wikia.com/wiki/Dominion_of_Korx Korx]] of ''VideoGame/GalacticCivilizations''. [[spoiler:They got exterminated in the second game, so]] the position of Privately Owned Society in the third game gets taken by the Iridium Corporation, which is at least somewhat more moral than the Korx.

* Illium in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' is an independent Asari colony just outside the borders of Citadel Space. It has easy access to pretty much all the goods and services one finds in Citadel Space, but none of the laws and regulations. On the street you can hear people openly talking about large shipments of drugs, buying military weapons to join mercenary companies well known for their criminal activities, and buying stocks based on exploiting humanitarian disasters. All the advertisements from the loudspeakers either include health warning, unless it is urgent recalls of products which of course never posed any danger to customers but need to be returned immediately. It's a WretchedHive of Scum and Villany, but it is clean and sophisticated. Interestingly, in the [[VideoGame/MassEffect3 third game]], Illium's massive wealth does have a good result: the planet's elite are able to raise and equip a staggeringly powerful mercenary army capable of fighting the Reapers off for weeks, which is something that only the turians could boast of doing. In contrast, Earth and Thessia were already on the ropes after only a few days of Reapers laying siege...

* ''VideoGame/{{Syndicate}}'' is set in a future when governments have been more or less displaced by [[RuleOfThree three]] massive corporations (one European, one American and one Far Eastern) - but the consequent absence of any real law enforcement has allowed those companies, in turn, to be taken over by the eponymous criminal gangs.

* General Resource and Neucom, who have replaced all governments in ''VideoGame/AceCombat3Electrosphere''.
* The world of ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' is one. The governments of the planets fell in the Last Corporate War, where all the main weapons manufacturers attacked each other, and ascended to become actual ruling powers.
* Corporatist Republics in ''VideoGame/CallToPower'' are described as countries where [[MegaCorp Mega-Corps]] have taken over functions of their jurisdictions when these States started to collapse.
* ''VideoGame/FateExtra'': The world is on the way to becoming one, with the Harway family being said to own 30% of the landmass and 60% of the global wealth, and are seeking to increase their power until they control all of mankind. Rin Tohsaka is part of a resistance movement against them.

Usually, it is a Straw Dystopia created by a [[UsefulNotes/PoliticalIdeologies nationalist, modern/social liberal, conservative, socialist, communist, social/communitarian anarchist, or otherwise not anarcho-capitalist/classic-liberal/libertarian]][[note]] Nationalists hate the idea that of the nation-state being subordinated to non-national actors. Modern/Social liberals hate the idea that the state would not be powerful enough to protect people from the abuse of power by private actors like corporations and crime syndicates or to protect workers rights. Conservatives are leery of unnecessary, unprecedented, and undesirable change - only conservatives who were also
market liberals/libertarians might approve of such a society. Socialists hate the idea of an unequal society wherein the poor and weak are not looked after with compassion and kindness. Communists hate the idea of a state that is run for the benefit of the bourgeoise and tramps upon the rights of the worker, but would remain hopeful that such a dystopia would lead to a (succesful) revolution by the oppressed poor and lead to the end of Capitalism. Lastly, Social/Communitarian Anarchists hate the idea of any kind of social order that is in any way oppressive or removed from the basic goodness/decency of face-to-face interactions, as a society run by faceless corporations (with no oversight) would be. [[/note]] author. More rarely, it can be MarySuetopia created by a market liberal/libertarian, Objectivist, anarcho-capitalist, miniarchist, paleolibertarian, or otherwise pro-corporate author.

* Spoofed in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E2YouOnlyMoveTwice You Only Move Twice]]", where Homer gets a job for the fictional MegaCorp Globex Corporation and the family moves to Cyprus Creek, a town owned and operated by Globex Corp. for its employees, with its own school, shopping center and boardwalk among other things, and presumably all public services are run by the company. The spoof part is that the BenevolentBoss Homer works for, Hank Scorpio, is actually a Film/JamesBond-style supervillain ([[BenevolentBoss who's genuinely nice to his employees]]), so Cyprus Creek also has its own private army good enough to take on the United States military and a doomsday device apparently capable of destroying France (or Italy, but no one ever chooses Italy over France). By the end of the episode, Scorpio has seized control of the East Coast and not only buys Homer the Denver Broncos, he has the entire team shipped to his front door.

market liberals/libertarians might approve of such a society. Socialists hate the idea of an unequal society wherein the poor and weak are not looked after with compassion and kindness. Communists hate the idea of a state that is run for the benefit of the bourgeoise and tramps upon the rights of the worker, but would remain hopeful that such a dystopia would lead to a (succesful) revolution by the oppressed poor and lead to the end of Capitalism. Lastly, Social/Communitarian Anarchists hate the idea of any kind of social order that is in any way oppressive or removed from the basic goodness/decency of face-to-face interactions, as a society run by faceless corporations (with no oversight) would be. [[/note]] author. More rarely, it can be MarySuetopia created by a market liberal/libertarian, Objectivist, anarcho-capitalist, miniarchist, hoppean, or otherwise pro-corporate author.

* Spoofed in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E2YouOnlyMoveTwice You Only Move Twice]]", where Homer gets a job for the fictional MegaCorp Globex Corporation and the family moves to Cyprus Creek, a town owned and operated by Globex Corp. for its employees, with its own school, shopping center and boardwalk among other things, and presumably all public services are run by the company. The spoof part is that the BenevolentBoss Homer works for, Hank Scorpio, is actually a Film/JamesBond-style supervillain (who's surprisingly nice to his employees), so Cyprus Creek also has its own private army good enough to take on the United States military and a doomsday device apparently capable of destroying France (or Italy, but no one ever chooses Italy over France). By the end of the episode, Scorpio has seized control of the East Coast and not only buys Homer the Denver Broncos, he has the entire team shipped to his front door.

* The [[http://galciv.wikia.com/wiki/Dominion_of_Korx Korx]] of ''VideoGame/GalacticCivilizations''. [[spoiler:They got exterminated in the second game, so]] the position of PrivatelyOwnedSociety in the third game gets taken by the Iridium Corporation, which is at least somewhat more moral than the Korx.

* UsefulNotes/{{Objectivism}}, Anarcho-Capitalism, and Classical Liberalism (aka "Libertarianism" in the USA) consider a society dominated by non-state actors to be ideal. Though the three agree that The Free Market Will Provide (Prosperity For All), that there should be little to no government regulation of society and people's behavior, and no public efforts to save the sick or needy, they squabble over the details. However, Anarcho-Capitalism is the only one to envision a society with ''no government whatsoever''-that being where the whole 'Anarcho' bit comes from-but instead absolutely everything being run by syndicates or corporations[[note]] The possibility that these non-state actors could end up governing society in a manner little different to that of a, well, regular government is why Anarcho-Capitalists and Social/Communitarian Anarchists are so irreconcilably opposed to one another[[/note]]. The Objectivists and Classical Liberals think this would be a terrible idea because they're sure that a functional society requires a military and legal/justice system.

market liberals/libertarians might approve of such a society. Socialists hate the idea of an unequal society wherein the poor and weak are not looked after with compassion and kindness. Communists hate the idea of a state that is run for the benefit of the bourgeoise and tramps upon the rights of the worker, but would remain hopeful that such a dystopia would lead to a (succesful) revolution by the oppressed poor and lead to the end of Capitalism. Lastly, Social/Communitarian Anarchists hate the idea of any kind of social order that is in any way oppressive or removed from the basic goodness/decency of face-to-face interactions, as a society run by faceless corporations (with no oversight) would be. [[/note]] author. More rarely, it can be MarySuetopia created by a market liberal/libertarian, Objectivist, anarcho-capitalist, miniarchist, Hoppean (libertarian fascism), or otherwise pro-corporate author.

Usually, it is a Straw Dystopia created by a [[UsefulNotes/PoliticalIdeologies nationalist, modern/social liberal, conservative, socialist, communist, social/communitarian anarchist, or otherwise not anarcho-capitalist/classic-liberal/libertarian]][[note]] Nationalists hate the idea that of the nation-state being subordinated to non-national actors. Modern/Social liberals hate the idea that the state would not be powerful enough to protect people from the abuse of power by private actors like corporations and crime syndicates or to protect workers rights. Conservatives are leery of unnecessary, unprecedented, and undesirable change - only conservatives who were also classic-liberals/libertarians might approve of such a society. Socialists hate the idea of an unequal society wherein the poor and weak are not looked after with compassion and kindness. Communists hate the idea of a state that is run for the benefit of the bourgeoise and tramps upon the rights of the worker, but would remain hopeful that such a dystopia would lead to a (succesful) revolution by the oppressed poor and lead to the end of Capitalism. Lastly, Social/Communitarian Anarchists hate the idea of any kind of social order that is in any way oppressive or removed from the basic goodness/decency of face-to-face interactions, as a society run by faceless corporations (with no oversight) would be. [[/note]] author. More rarely, it can be MarySuetopia created by a classic liberal/libertarian, Objectivist, anarcho-capitalist, fascist, or otherwise pro-corporate author.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* Corporatist Republics in ''VideoGame/CallToPower'' are described as countries where MegaCorps have taken over functions of their jurisdictions when these States started to collapse.

Compare and contrast CommieLand, the politicial and ideological opposite, and AlternateHistoryNaziVictory, the Axis counterpart.

* PlayedForLaughs in the ''Series/ABitOfFryAndLaurie'' sketch "The Privatization of the Police Force", probably as a satire on the [[RippedFromTheHeadlines ongoing wave of privatizations]] that occurred under the UsefulNotes/MargaretThatcher administration.

In TheFuture, AlternateHistory or simply somewhere apart from historical location, there exists a society where virtually everything is owned by the private sector, from [[LawEnforcementInc the]] [[SecretPolice police]] to the fire department to the national park service, sometimes even to [[PrivateMilitaryContractors the military]] and [[KangarooCourt courts]]. Depending on the views of the author on capitalism, this may be presented in a variety of lights.

Compare and contrast CommieLand, the politicial and ideological opposite.