By the 22nd century, as overcrowding blighted the world, the economic and technological elite made a pact with the devil. Surrender the rights of the poor and the freedoms of the masses in return for excess riches for the wealthy. Backed by robotic production, state sanctioned drug distribution, and an ever-present automated security system, this new Technocracy resulted in increased productivity and consumption. With elevated cities for the rich, the less glamorous effects were not even visible.