2min chapter

Past Present Future cover image

History of Ideas: Hume

Past Present Future

CHAPTER

The Importance of Democracy in the 19th Century

In the 19th century, war on the European continent became much, much rarer. There were long periods of peace during which responsible British governments in their own mind sought to diminish the burden of debt and to pay some of it back. Political responsibility was not ruled out by the level of debt that the British date took on. It was actually in the end enabled by it. And finally, the thing that made a difference is the thing that Hume never believed in, didn't understand, and frankly was completely wrong about democracy. Democracy turns out to be a very flexible, very pragmatic form of government. What's true of Britain is also true of the United States.

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