xerocracy

noun

Etymology: From xero(x) + -cracy.

1. Political influence achieved by copying and distributing leaflets and similar material.

   “On the occasion of his son's death, the Ayatullah [Ruhollah Khomeini] wrote a letter to the Iranian people that is now regarded as the crucial document of the revolution. [...] Khomeini thus established himself as leader of the revolution by calling upon the armed forces to overthrow the Shah [Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]. Hundreds of thousands of copies of the letter were distributed in Iran. As a Tehran University professor put it [in October 1978]: "We were struggling against autocracy for democracy, by means of Xerocracy."”

   “As someone said, what was happening was a revolution for democracy, against autocracy, led by theocracy, made possible by xerocracy.”