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What if Alexander Tytler was Right?
American Thinker.com ^ | March 12, 2021 | Andrew W. Coy

Posted on 03/12/2021 4:23:48 AM PST by Kaslin

Sir Alexander Tytler was a Scottish advocate, judge, writer, and historian. Lord Tytler lived from 1747 until 1813; about the time of Washington, Adams, and Jefferson in America. Tytler was a professor at the University of Edinburgh. One of Tytler's most influential and proverbial historical writings was about the lifespan of countries operating under democratic republican governance. Tytler believed the life expectancy of a self-ruled nation was about 200 years.

Tytler was very dismissive about who holds the real power in a democratic republic or even a pure democracy. He felt these types of government do not last, cannot sustain themselves, and eventually crumble because of human nature. History repeats itself because human nature does not change. Tytler's most famous historical and yet futuristic prediction was the "Eight Stages of a Democracy." After studying human nature as well as past history, Tytler predicted the "Eight Stages of a Democracy." A brief reading sure makes one nervous about America's future.

"Eight Stages of a Democracy."

1) Bondage to Spiritual Faith

2) Spiritual Faith to Great Courage

3) Great Courage to Liberty

4) Liberty to Abundance

5) Abundance to Selfishness

6) Selfishness to Apathy

7) Apathy to Dependence

8) Dependence back to Bondage

The study of Tytler's analysis can be sobering. A great many Americans, including 80 million Trump voters, are inclined to feel we're at stage #7 and closing in on #8 fast. Surely you would think that even the Americans who have placed their guy in the White House must see some of the danger signs. The Biden/Harris administration has declared war on religion. The Biden/Harris regime is criminalizing political dissent. There are way too many Americans who live only on government assistance and handouts. Our borders are being overrun by illegal immigrants for whom there are no jobs.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: alexandertytler; democracy; governance; history; nations; siralexandertytler
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1 posted on 03/12/2021 4:23:48 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Interesting.


2 posted on 03/12/2021 4:26:09 AM PST by GOP Poet (Super cool you can change your tag line EVERYTIME you post!! :D. (Small things make me happy))
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To: Kaslin

It is hard not to feel our wonderful Republic is dying. We were fortunate to have President Trump give us a chance but the Barbarians are in power and our days of Freedom and Liberty are numbered.


3 posted on 03/12/2021 4:40:03 AM PST by Jolla
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To: Kaslin

I’m not sure how we get there, but I think we need to establish The Second Republic. This first one lasted a long time, but I’m convinced it has finally come to an end and cannot be fixed — it can only be replaced. Some people worry about a Constitutional Convention and how it might go “horribly wrong”. But I think we’re already there without the Convention. It’s not likely to get worse. But it could get better.

Balanced budget.
Term limits.
Judicial reform.
No income tax.
More States rights.
Much weaker federal government.

We have met the enemy and he is us. We need additional safeguards against tyranny.


4 posted on 03/12/2021 4:41:16 AM PST by ClearCase_guy ("I see you did something -- why you so racist?")
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To: Kaslin

Bookmark.


5 posted on 03/12/2021 4:43:28 AM PST by RinaseaofDs
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To: Kaslin

Too many people dont study the bible and think the jews were captured slaves. in Reality they SOLD THEMSELVES into slavery for food and a better life Egypt!!! without a fight!!. And the Egyptians paid for them. The Jews had turned their backs on God and he let it happen. Sound familiar??


6 posted on 03/12/2021 4:45:22 AM PST by Ikeon (if I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong)
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To: Kaslin

Great post. Most likely outcome will be dissolution of the union . Than the several states can try again for the type of governance prefered. Your state will need a strong military style police force to keep the scumbags out.


7 posted on 03/12/2021 4:55:30 AM PST by exnavy
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To: Jolla
It is hard not to feel our wonderful Republic is dying.

It's not dying but it's definitely being threatened by enemies (internal and external).

Americans would be pretty foolish and lazy to think that we aren't going to have to fight from time-to-time to preserve our freedom.

We called the Greatest Generation the "greatest" because they faced the challenge and won. It was probably the challenge itself that shaped their character and made them "great."

Well, here comes another such challenge.

8 posted on 03/12/2021 4:58:53 AM PST by RoosterRedux
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To: Kaslin

Welcome to the post-American future


9 posted on 03/12/2021 5:00:44 AM PST by SquarePants (Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time)
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To: GOP Poet
Founders knew that democracy is unstable, and always ALWAYS ends in disaster.

Also attrributed to Tytler ...

"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 from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 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 selfishness; From selfishness to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage."

10 posted on 03/12/2021 5:07:02 AM PST by Cboldt
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To: ClearCase_guy
The anti-federalists were right. The Anti-Federalist Papers
11 posted on 03/12/2021 5:09:21 AM PST by Cboldt
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To: Kaslin
My view is that we are a combination of 6 and 7 but moving quickly in the wrong direction.

The one saving grace {maybe} is our Constitution.

Prior to 1776, no nation was ever founded by men that acknowledged that all rights flowed from God, not man nor kings nor gubberments.

I know we have trashed much of our Constitution, but the saving grace could be that which remains.

The biggest obstacle is the fact that in order for our Constitution to have real meaning, we must believe in God, in a morality that acknowledges a right and wrong.

If we accept concepts such as pick a sex {transmania}, and reject the concept of rights flowing from God, then America as a free nation, will not survive.

12 posted on 03/12/2021 5:14:31 AM PST by USS Alaska (NUKE ALL MOOSELIMB TERRORISTS, NOW.)
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To: Kaslin

Tyler’s theory is a tendency. Properly aware of it a nation can adjust to conditions as they develop. We are in a stage where we can change and keep the constitution intact. Turning the House in the next election is the cross roads. That and an economoc deterioration that has to come will wake up the apathetic ...or it won’t. Fork in the road time is coming.

Biden and the Democrats will create enough bad government for even the most apathetic to react. If we don’t Tyler will have been right.


13 posted on 03/12/2021 5:17:38 AM PST by JeanLM (Obama proved melanin is just enough to win elections Trump proves being good is not enough..)
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To: Kaslin

#7 going on #8

IMO it has gone beyond recovery.
November 3 2020 sealed America’s fate.


14 posted on 03/12/2021 5:18:11 AM PST by Vinnie ( )
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To: ClearCase_guy

I don’t think now is the time to risk our 2A. We’re going to h*ll in a handbasket and if our internal enemies get their way, we’ll need our guns.


15 posted on 03/12/2021 5:27:53 AM PST by WWG1WWA (Beware the fury of a patient man. -John Dryden )
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To: Kaslin
Between Tytler and Gibbon's Decline and Fall we can see our dystopian future clearly.
16 posted on 03/12/2021 5:31:29 AM PST by Sans-Culotte (11/3-11/4/2020 - The USA became a banana republic.)
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To: GOP Poet

I’ve seen and heard preached, similar progression/digression concerning Israel and their self induced bondage to God’s liberty back to bondage


17 posted on 03/12/2021 5:36:02 AM PST by knarf (>)
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To: Cboldt
Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. This nation was formed
as time progress. It was a land of the gentry/elite/money people.

They rounded up the natives and put them on reservations. Crossed
the oceans to Africa and brought in their native peoples to work
the land and cook, clean, and wash for the landed gentry. Then the
system changed with the Civil War and the slaves were freed. And as
time progress the gov’t became the provider of money, dictator of
the rules of life, etc. for all.

Today thousands upon thousands have crossed the oceans/lands to the
shores of this country to take part as the recipients of the wealth. Things
are changing fast and it is away from the freedom of the human to gov’t
control of all things. JMO.

18 posted on 03/12/2021 5:46:02 AM PST by deport ( )
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To: deport

History, civilizations, societies, all run through cycles. It’s natural. Some generations get good leaders, some generations thrive in relative peace, other generations get war, pestilence and tyrants.

US is the first time in history that the people claimed to be superior to the government. It’s a radical statement - embodied fairly eloquently in the Declaration of Independence. The people have the right to throw off their government. That is what we celebrate on the 4th of July.

After a couple hundred years, that radical thought has been perverted by the powerful in order to control the weak, and the world is back to it’s pre “power by the consent of the governed” condition. The natural condition. You’ll be ruled, and you’ll like it.


19 posted on 03/12/2021 6:00:10 AM PST by Cboldt
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To: Kaslin
History does tend to repeat itself. Very few people will admit mistakes and many go off "half cocked" without doing any research on the causes of failure of previous attempts.

This produced the quote: "Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it." Sadly, in our day it is hard to get people to put down their smart phones and read well-written historical accounts.

20 posted on 03/12/2021 6:07:26 AM PST by RetiredScientist
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