The guillotine? French Directory – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Directory):
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Under the French Constitution of 1795, qualified property holders elected 750 legislators, who divided themselves into the Council of Five Hundred and the Council of Ancients. This bicameral legislature had a term of three years, with one-third of the members renewed every year. The Ancients held a suspensory veto, but possessed no initiative in legislation.
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The system made provision for the stringent control of all local authorities by the central government. Since the new constitution sought to create a separation of powers, the directors had no voice in legislation or taxation, nor could directors or ministers sit in either house. The law guaranteed freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and freedom of labour, but forbade armed assemblies and even public meetings of political societies. Only individuals or public authorities could tender petitions…The finances had been so thoroughly ruined that the government could not have met its expenses without the plunder and the tribute of foreign countries. If peace were made, the armies would return home and the directors would have to face the exasperation of the rank-and-file who had lost their livelihood, as well as the ambition of generals who could, in a moment, brush them aside.
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The end result was Napoleon. When the Weimar government floundered, the end result was Hitler when Germany finally went bankrupt. Since the military is sucking down a huge, huge hunk of our budget, if this is endangered and the wages of the military aren’t paid on time, they will take over the government just like we saw in Egypt. This will fix nothing since the military leaders want more wars which is what happened when Hitler and Napoleon took over bankrupt empires that still had strong military systems pretty much intact.
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Both Hitler and Napoleon promised guns and butter and brought in lots of loot for a while until military defeats reversed this and the people let invaders (Russia in both cases!) overthrow their armies. In the US, we have a very dangerous military machine that is mainly overseas. If Congress doesn’t pay them or if the US debt is degraded and thus, less desirable, we will have a coup more likely than an election. The military will not tolerate civilian spending if they have to be cut, too. Ending the many wars goes against the grain for the military which wants more of these wars for it increases their power.
http://emsnews.wordpress.com/2011/07/27/no-more-zirp-for-us-government/
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