h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Republic is Plato's manifesto for being appointed tyrant of Athens himself.

Plato was an opponent of the new democratic and individualistic ideas, believeing them to demonstrate a universal law of decay. He advocated social institutions designed to arrest all change.

These not only included eugenics, but state propaganda and violence, censorship of the arts, suppression of free speech, a militarisitic society, and a rigid class system. (The possibility of movement between classes is not proscribed consistently - perhaps only downwards movement is possible.)

In short it is not much different from modern fascism. And to top it all he suggested that the ruler must be a philosopher. I wonder who he had in mind.

Plato may have earned a reputation of progressiveness by his talk of justice, but as seen in the original article, Plato's definition of justice is the interest of the stability of the state.

For more details read "The Open Society and its Enemies" by Karl Popper.