PrintOctober 9, 2011
The American Revolution of 2012
An inchoate, seemingly rudderless administration coupled with a sinking economy and civil unrest is a recipe for an anarchical response. Weakness, vacillation, and erosion of institutional authority are an invitation to anarchical thuggery, which looks like welcome strength when compared to feebleness and arbitrariness.
It should be no surprise, then, that the Occupy Wall Street uprisings are happening. After all, such mob uprisings have historical precedent. Anarchy followed by tyranny occurs whenever weakness and a power vacuum, perceived or real, exists.
Examples from history abound, but two cases may be particularly pertinent.
In eighteenth-century France, Louis XVI was heir to an absolute monarchy. This privileged construct actually worked when strong, even ruthless heads of state such as Louis XIV utilized the institution to the fullest in order to ensure their own and their country's advantage. However, the inherent advantages and strengths...(Read Full Article)
