In antiquity, the problems I have outlined did not exist, because of the immaturity of political systems, nationalism, and man’s notion of personal responsibility. That mix meant that people had greater influence than they do today.
Business was not in a position to influence the governments of antiquity because it was not a large component of the economy. Athens was mainly an agrarian society and the farms were small and privately owned. Tribal and clan systems were the sources of power because they were the historical human organizations.
Nationalism produced a unity that kept the people together through wars, famines, and other times of trouble. To be anti-nationalist was not normal: personal responsibility was.