When democracy, for whatever reason (disinformed and/or disinterested public, for example) doesn't work as it should, elected politicians are not really in charge. They have no power, they are just hired public faces of behind-the-scenes plutocracy, lighting rods for public anger.

If you want to find out who's really in power, you have to follow the money. The questions you have to ask are: To whom flows most of the money? Who controls the flow of money? Who gets to use the freshly printed money first?