A Lesson In The Development of Civilization

Free Republic and elsewhere ^ | ALEXANDER TYLER ?

[Restore]

At about the time our original 13 states adopted their new constitution in 1787, a Scottish history professor by the name of  Professor Alexander Tyler had this to say about "The Fall of the Athenian Republic" over 2,000 years previous to that date.

..................................................

The Fall of the Athenian Republic.

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government.  It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse (generous gifts) from the public treasury.  From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, (which is) always followed by a dictatorship."  The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been two hundred years.

     "These nations have progressed through this sequence.  From bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance, from abundance to complacency; from complacency to apathy, from apathy to dependence, from dependence back into bondage."

[Restore]

After receiving an e-mail of the above, I decided to post it. But a search of FR I shows that there was a thread which appeared in September of 2000.
That thread has long since been locked, and many folks have joined FR since then. However I think that this was a great piece of material and deserves another look. Please take a look at the original post:

http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a39c1a77534e2.htm (Opens in a new window)

[untenured]

The sentiment is laudable, but the quote is bogus.

[Restore]

I am aware. In the old thread they go into that issue in detail.

[LN2Campy]

The Athenian Republic fell not because its citizens began to vote itself largesse from the public treasury but rather because it overextended itself militarily. As a maritime power, it needed to protect its sea lanes. Toward this end, it formed the Delian League (sort of a NATO) of which it was clearly, at first, the senior member. Later on, it was viewed by many League members as tyrannical. Eventually, Athen's expansionism caused it to bump against the Spartans, and the disastrous Peloponesian war ensued.

[boris]

"The sentiment is laudable, but the quote is bogus."

I've read it before and wonder who originated it. Someone did.

"No man's life, liberty or property are safe while the Legislature is in session."

I've seen the above attributed to Will Rogers, Judge Gideon Tucker, and several others; I remain ignorant of the true originator.

"The two most common elements in the Univers are Hydrogen and stupidity."--variously attributed to Frank Zappa, Albert Einstein, others.

"Against stupdity, the gods themselves contend in vain."--This one I got, Freiderich von Schiller, The Maid of Orleans

--Boris

[boris]

sorry, "Univers"="Universe"

[StonyBurk]

AH but I allways was under the impression that our Founding
fathers were justifiably contemptable of "democracy:"
finding it the most unstable of systems.Why Americans were
once taught we were a Constitutional republicand our
constitution gaurentees the States a Republican form of
government --NOT the damnable Democracy we hear almost
exclusively of today.