| Re: Democracy does not exist in the Modern World |
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Group: alt.philosophy · Group Profile
Author: Jerry KrausJerry Kraus Date: Sep 29, 2007 07:30
On Sep 29, 7:04 am, Fred Weiss papertig.com> wrote:> On Sep 27, 10:14 am, Jerry Kraus yahoo.com> wrote:
>>> This is a very interesting question which I think bears
>> investigation. Why are countries that hold elections usually richer
>> than those that don't?
>
> Because they are usually capitalistic.
>
>> They don't seem to be particularly more peaceful.
>
> Of course they are. The most (relatively) peaceful period in the
> modern era was in the 19th Cent. at the height of (classical) liberal
> values, i.e. capitalism and individual rights.
>
> That era ended in WWI with the growth in statism, i.e. the
> "Progressive" era and the growth of the welfare state which increased
> the power of the state at the expense of individuals. As that trend
> continued after the war with the rise in fascism and communism, WWll
> became inevitable.
>
> The primary issue here is not "democracy" per se. It's individual
> rights vs. gov't power. As the power of the state grows - at the
> expense of individuals - the likelihood of war increases.
>
> Fred Weiss
Fred, have you heard of the American Civil War? And, I'm sorry, the
southern slaveowners were just as much capitalists as the people in
the north. How about the Irish Hunger, when half of Ireland was wiped
out in a few years simply and solely because rich British Capitalists
in the 1840's didn't see any need to feed the Irish merely because
their potato crop had failed. After all, that would have violated the
rules of the "Market".
Ever read Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness"? Those nineteenth
century capitalists who brough one hundred years of comparative peace
to Europe brought slavery, death and exploitation to Africa, India and
China. Ever heard of the Indian Mutiny, the Zulu Wars, the Opium
Wars?
You know, it's true, if you can steal enough from those weaker than
yourself, frequently you don't have to fight a lot of battles simply
to survive. That is the lesson of nineteenth century capitalism.
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