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Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism

Book by Anne Applebaum · 2 quotes · Democracy, Politics, America

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Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism Quotes

“[Alexander Hamilton and John Adams] wanted to build democracy in America on the basis of rational debate, reason, and compromise. But they had no illusions about human nature: They knew that men could sometimes succumb to "passions," to use their old-fashioned word. They knew that any political system built on logic and rationality was always at risk from an outburst of the irrational.”

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Book:Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism
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“The ancient philosophers always had their doubts about democracy. Plato feared the "false and braggart words" of the demagogue, and suspected democracy might be nothing more than a staging point on the road to tyranny. Early American advocates of republican government also recognized the challenge that a corrupt leader could pose to democracy, and thought hard about creating the institutions that would resist one. The Constitutional Convention of 1787 created the electoral college as a means of ensuring that a man with what Alexander Hamilton called "talents for low intrigue, and the little arts of popularity" could never become president of the United States.”

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Book:Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism
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