M
Sr. Member
Posts: 2,491
|
 |
« on: February 11, 2005, 05:10:31 PM » |
|
The U.S. actually did NOT declare war on Finland, for which the Finns are still grateful. The British and Commonwealth did but launched exactly one strike on Petsamo, targeting German and not Finnish military.
Other than that, Britain was most certainly not a democracy under George III, especially in the North years. But it wasn't until at least the 1830s and probably more like the 1870s-90s that Britain reached the level of republicanism present in the United States from 1789.
Some people try to make the case that the Boers or Wilhelmentine Germany or Nasserite Egypt or modern Iran were/are democracies. Utter and dangerous bunk. Especially since elected bodies in these countries had/have zero control over military, forieign policy, and intelligence (and who do you think wages war, pension plans?)
Examples are exceedingly rare in history. Did trade wars between Venice and Genoa count? But the most cited example is the conflict between Athens and Syracuse during the Peloponessian Wars.
Regardless, the mere fact that people comb the annals of history for exceptions to this rule, like exceptions to the one that stable democracies do not backslide, only show the overwhelming success of these phenomena in history. The obvious conclusion: a globe covered in stable democracies=permanent world peace.
|
