To those in power, to command and control without question will often seem a more appealing option than to govern through consultation, tactical concession and necessary compromise. Take Leon Trotsky for instance – he makes a good point but you can also hear him reaching for his gun and sabre when he says:
“There is a limit to the application of democratic methods. You can enquire of all the passengers as to what type of car they like to ride in, but it is impossible to question them as to whether to apply the brakes when the vehicle is at full speed and accidents threaten.”
The essence of democracy is that different views find organized outlet in contending parties. But the danger always is that contention will become so fierce and unforgiving that democratic give-and-take deteriorates into a sort of modified (and in some cases not at all modified) civil strife. The great 18th Century essayist, Joseph Addison, saw a danger in his day which other nations in other eras can easily recognize:
“There cannot be a greater judgement befall a country than such a dreadful spirit of division as rends a society into two distinct peoples and makes them greater and more averse to one another than if they were actually two different nations.”
