They swallow the lie—and get indigestion

With the working class it is the other way about. Too ignorant to see through the trick that is being played on them, they easily swallow the promises of fascism, yet sooner or later they always take up the struggle again. They must do so, because in their own bodies they always discover that the promises of fascism cannot be fulfilled. To win over the working class permanently, the fascists would have to raise the general standard of living, which they are unable and probably unwilling to do. The struggle of the working class is like the growth of a plant, the plant is blind and stupid, but it knows enough to keep pushing upwards towards the light, and it will do this in the face of endless discouragements.—George Orwell, A Collection of Essays, 202

<idle musing>
OK, I don't like his demeaning classist outlook, but he does shine the light on an important truth. The "lower class" may empower their overlords, but when the leaders fail—which they inevitably will, because their real goal is power and money—the "lower class" will rise up and rebel. It might take a generation or two, but they will. Cue reference to Hab 3.
</idle musing>