The Unpopular History of the United States
the kings of Prussia," and that he was responsible to no man, to no legislative body, to no gathering of the people, and he didn't care a rap whether folks liked it or not. That was his way of doing, and he had the army behind him.
That's all right, if a man gets away with it, and holds his job; he will build the strongest possible government, for a despot centers in his own hand all the legislative and executive powers. At his nod war is declared, the army is launched, and the cannons roar. It is a marvelously, terribly, brutally efficient scheme of running a government. It can do things — do them right now.
We Americans are mighty proud of the fact that our Declaration of Independence, and our Constitution have become a pattern for nearly all the world — all that part of the world which is not controlled by the Prussian Idea. New republics, springing up in every quarter of the globe, have followed our lead. We stand for that Big Idea, and we have to
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