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\title{A Dialogue on the Best Form of Government for France}
\author{Duc Louis-Philippe d'Orleans
\footnote{With thanks to the great philosopher Plato}}
\date{Feb 22, 1808}
\begin{document}
\maketitle

\begin{entry}
\Wmf Good morning oh great and wise one.
\Soc Good morning Weak-Minded Fool. And what have you come to ask me
about?
\Wmf I have been listening to the many philosophical debates Socrates,
and I think I know which form of government is best for the great
nation of France.
\Soc And what philosophy, Mnsr. Fool, do you suggest make the best
form of government for France?
\Wmf Why, Socialism of course. For everybody in this system is equal,
with benevolent leaders to ensure the equality of everyone.
\Soc But Mnsr. Under this system can we ensure that the leaders are benevolent?
\Wmf Of course, you are right socrates. A selfish or powerful outside force
could easily step in and grab everything. There is no way to stop an
unwilling participant from not sharing in everything he does. The
followers of socialism must be truly good people at heart, but with
beliefs of a benevolent society that cannot be ensured. 
But then, Democracy has to be the right form of government for France!
\Soc Slow down Mnsr. Fool. Have we seen Democracy work?
\Wmf Well Monsieur, we have not seen democracy work in the style that
is being proposed today, but Athens was a good democracy.
\Soc But who was Athens ruled by?
\Wmf Athens was ruled by a smaller group of people who had citizenship
status, not by everyone in the city. Not by women, not by the
residents. And it did not have a population as large as France's.
While Democracy serves a small local government well, a democracy
cannot work with as many citizens as France has. There will be
too many people pulling in too many directions, there will be
no clear representative of the people for foreign governments
to negotiate with or to fight wars against. This
system will either degenerate into total anarchy, or worse, a powerful
but not necessarily benevolent leader may seize power fairly easily in
this system. I can't believe I fell for their
irresponsible rhetoric. But I have been listening to the republicans,
and they believe in creating a small group chosen by the people to
represent them. Is this not a good thing for France?
\Soc Perhaps it might be. Have we seen a system similar to a
republican system in France? 
\Wmf Well, for several years now, we have had a directory which was a
small group of representatives elected by the citizenry to rule them
and pass laws for them.
\Soc And is this a good system?
\Wmf There is no cohesiveness. A group can easily seize power, and
we don't have balance. This is not a good system. Well, then, how
about Enlightened Despotism?  Surely a good strong leader is a
great thing for France? Letting the people choose the best among
themselves to govern them must be a good thing for
France.
\Soc I believe you are on the right track Monsieur, but let me ask you
a question:  Can the people err?
\Wmf Of course the people can make mistakes. We are not perfect
monsieur.
\Soc And what happens if the people make a mistake monsieur?
\Wmf Well, I suppose we have a bad form of government.
\Soc Exactly, but then, if the people can err, can we trust them to
make this choice?
\Wmf Well, I guess not Monsieur.. But there must be a way to choose
this powerful leader.
\Soc Well, who can choose without making a mistake?
\Wmf But of course! If we let a higher power choose, we cannot go
wrong! Surely we must let our divine leader choose the man who will
govern us, though we must also allow for a system that involves the
people. Is this not a Constitutional Monarchy?
\Soc I congratulate you monsieur, for you are truly an enlightened
being. There is only one form of government that is good for
France. It is a Constitutional Monarchy. Throughout France's history,
a strong leader has been good for France. Allowing for a council of
advisors and giving this king veto power over their decision is the
best for of Government that France can have.
\end{entry}


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