Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from The Empire and the Future: A Series of Imperial Studies Lectures Delivered in the University of London, King's College
Of the whole nexus of questions discussed in the pages of this book, one of the first that suggests itself is summed up in' the sentence Can a Democracy govern an Empire The phrase itself, with its classical allusions, sounds arti ficial. As Sir Charles Lucas points out, the whole problem is changed by the existence of a representative system and of a permanent civil service, necessitated by the com plexities of modern life. Even the introduction of the initiative would not bring back'legislation like that in the market-place at Athens. But it is important, even so, to note the merits and limitations of rule by a Democracy as contrasted with that of an Autocracy like Germany. From individual blunders it will often be saved by its civil service. Fundamental movements are less likely to cause violent trouble, since it is its own safety-valve. It is in policies and actions intermediate between these two that the danger consists. Up till now the advantage of an Auto cracy like the German has been a clear perception of the middle distance. Witness her preparation for the present War. If, however, the British Democracy surmounts the present peril, its problems for the next decade will be domestic. Can it rule itself wisely during a difficult period of democratic evolution Can it, at the same time, order matters aright with the sister British Democracies? Can it still successfully administer a dependent Empire? Let the motto be Education, education, and always educa tion, and the answer Yes should be given with increas ing certainty.
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