This is (part of) how the Roman Republic fell

[KingOrfeo]

How dare you use his words against him!

Well, I don't know where to find him, so I can't use sticks and stones.

 

[KingOrfeo]

I'm more of the opinion income inequality and populous leaders.

You mean "populist." Caesar certainly was one.

 

[KingOrfeo]

First, the Consitution had to be corrupted and the states dominated by a strong centralized federal government.

That has little to do with why the 1% now rules.

 

[Rightguide]

There were and had been republics in Europe after Rome and before American independence -- the Dutch Republic, the Venetian Republic, the Swiss Confederation, and several Italian city-states and German free cities. All were on a small scale, however. I recall a college polysci prof pointing out that what made the U.S. different, and a radically new experiment, was that it was the first big republic in human history. (Or at least the first since Rome; debatable point, as to the end the Roman Republic had essentially the constitution of a city-state, and technically was one (for religious purposes and some legal and constitutional purposes, Rome only existed at the heart of the city bound by the pomerium or official city line; everything outside was simply Roman territory), and only citizens living in or near Rome could in practice attend elections or public assemblies regularly, or politically participate at all, there being no provision for anything like the modern representative systems inspired by the British Parliament. Perhaps another reason for the Republic's fall is that its government was simply not designed to encompass large territories and diverse peoples, and no statesman had the imagination to propose the constitutional changes necessary to adapt to that situation.)

Publius argued, and he appears to have been mostly right, that America's size and scale would make republican government work even better here -- the bane of republics had always been factions gaining control of the state and ruling in their own particular interest, but in a country this vast with so many potential factions, no faction could hope to dominate the others. (He did not foresee that the 1% would become a national faction, and dominate the government through economic power buying political power.)

Even England was declared a republic in 1649, but still no comparison to ours.

 

[KingOrfeo]

Even England was declared a republic in 1649, but still no comparison to ours.

The more so as it was actually a military dictatorship, which we have always managed to avoid.