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Lessons on Political Violence from the Roman Republic: Part III – Organized, armed gangs will tear apart a political system

Lessons on Political Violence from the Roman Republic: Part III – Organized, armed gangs will tear apart a political system

As Americans head to the polls, the threat of voter intimidation and violence is greater than at any time in recent memory.  Not since the Jim Crow South have voters and the political system faced such threats.  The potential damage this could do to our political system should not be underestimated.  Here again, the Romans provide us an ominous example. By the 50s BCE, the Roman Republic had been marred by political violence for decades, but something had inherently changed. …

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Lessons on Political Violence from the Roman Republic: Part II – Civic virtue is as important as the constitution and laws

Lessons on Political Violence from the Roman Republic: Part II – Civic virtue is as important as the constitution and laws

Civic virtue does not seem to be of much interest in 21st century America.  Perhaps for good reason.  It is hard to be civically virtuous when any attempt to be so is taken advantage of.  It’s a lamentable loss.  For in the end, civic virtue has the power to keep people together longer than institutions and documents.  We tend to rely on institutions and documents to do our heavy lifting; we treat these things as if they can police our…

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