A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over lousy fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average of the world’s great civilizations before they decline has been 200 years. These nations have progressed in this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; from faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to Complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependency; from dependency back again to bondage.
Alexander Tyler, 1770
This has been posted many times. I'd like to see someone post just one example of a nation that actually followed such a sequence in the time range shown.
Methinks this a truly classic example of a glittering generality that has no truth in reality.
it could have lasted longer in the US. I think the popular election of senators has played at part in this decline.