Senilocracy

Near-synonym: gerontocracy

The national party is divided into two factions: the progressists, who want to overthrow the senilocracy and bring to power the young and vigorous capacities that are needed by the state of the country; and the acculards [blind alley men, " stick-in-the-muds "] who are endeavouring to cling to all the old clothes of our government.

The chairmen of committees are beyond the reach of the Administration and even of Congress itself and constitute a kind of senilocracy that makes as much trouble and confusion as anything in Congress.

This apparent Soviet receptivity to arms control can be attributed to several factors. First, after a number of years of suffering under a “senilocracy,’ the Soviet Union, at last, is under the direction of a dynamic, “live” leader who is able to make decisions, to respond more flexibly to the challenges of East-West public diplomacy, and to appreciate the impact of Soviet behavior on other nations.