At least during the French Revolution, they had strength in numbers.
The people who control the capital are building autonomous armament to protect themselves against both foreign and domestic enemies.
If you sell labour for money, you should be worried.
Rich people can build all the fortified bunkers they want, but they still need to get their food, water, and air from somewhere. It would be very easy to cut them off or smoke them out.
(I'm not advocating for violence in any way, I'm just pointing out that nobody's invincible, no matter how obscenely wealthy they are).
God, I hate this.
"Guys, there is an ugly but working solution to many of our problems, but hey, I am so well-tamed I automatically need to emphasize I don't condone choosing this option"