Wasn't it originally set up where only landowners could vote? I think there was a reason for that.
It will not be the mob, but a demagogue that will step on the mob’s back(dead or a live) to attain power. People stand in the way and try to frustrate this rise to power resulting in the demagogue feeling slighted and denied what they feel is rightfully theirs. Look to how Marius(known as a populist, a New Man that reeked of hatred for the old guard) rose to power by reorganizing the Legions to take in the non propertied and then using his legislative lackeys to give away state land to the landless veterans. These veterans were bought and paid for by these handouts and voted Marius Consul seven times. He was actually denied the seventh time and then hired a mob to invade Roma and take it over. This came about because the small farmer that made up the Legions had mostly been killed off in mismanaged wars that resulted in the families selling the property to make ends meet. The ones buying the property were the 1st order(Senators, Merchants and other wealthy property owners).
The only people left to flesh out the Legions were not only the non propertied, but of the lowest order of Roman of the Romans. On the other side was Sulla (who was of old patrician family stock) who stood for tradition and the way things were, went to far in his restoring of the Republic. He went the opposite extreme that his former mentor Marius did and thus destroying what people knew to be normal and right. In the aftermath what was left of the 1st order were either neo-conservatives retroing what they thought was the old ways that had been lost and others that were muddling along to survive. That set the stage for Marius and Sulla’s nephew Caesar to blaze a new path, a new Roma. As Caesar felt that a Republic was inadequate to manage the Empire Roma found itself in possession of.
You will notice that we are playing along this same path, just a blazing speed. Per Aristotle, Monarchy then Republic, Republic then Democracy/Demagoguery, Democracy then Dictatorship and then rinse and repeat. America, Monarchy to Republic, Republic to Democracy? Are we there, yet?
If you want to save your precious Republic than save the middle class. I don’t middle class based on the materialistic value of paper money in one’s bank account. But those that are artisans that have sought after skills and products, business owners and of course the small/mid size land owner. There will always be an aristocracy, but this delves into dictatorship when the aristocracy owns everything.
Wasn’t it originally set up where only landowners could vote? I think there was a reason for that.
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I believe it was originaly only MALES who owned at least $200. in property (a sizable sum at the time) and who could demonstrate an ability to read, write and understand the Constitution. And yes, there was a good reason for all that!