46 SPECIALPROVIDENCEeignrelationsthatdemocraciesappeartomedecidedlyinferiortoother
governments....Foreignpoliticsdemandscarcelyanyofthosequalities
whicharepeculiartoa democracy;theyrequire,onthecontrary,theper-
fectuseofalmostallthoseinwhichitis deficient."25
AtthetimeoftheAmericanRevolution,therewassomethinglikean
intellectualconsensusonthetypeofgovernmentnecessarytoconductan
activeandsuccessfulforeignpolicy:anaristocracy.Aristocratshadthe
leisuretotravelabroadandtostudythehistoryandlanguagesrequired
fordiplomacy.Theytookthelongviewoftheircountry'sinterests;they
werepreparedtoundertakepolicieswhosebenefitsmightnotmaturefor
manyyears.Aristocratswereeagertowinfamethroughdistinguished
servicetothestate;theywerewellversedinthetraditionalinterestsof
theircountryandofitsrelationswithitsvariousneighborsandrivals.
Thearistocracyofanentirenationformeda bodythatwassmallenough
tobereachedandpersuadedbythecounselsofreasonbutlargeenough
to resistthepassionsofa smallfaction.Whilethearistocracymight
oppressitsfellowcitizensthroughdiscriminatorydomesticlaws,indeal-
ingswithforeigncountriesitwouldrepresenttheinterestsofthenation
asa whole.
Monarchiessharedsomeoftheseadvantages.Kingsknewdiplomatic
historyand wereeducatedto understandthe basicinterests oftheir
nation.Theywereawareoftheirlong-termdynasticinterestsandwere
moreconcernedthananyoftheirsubjectswiththehonorandthesafety
ofthenation.Ontheotherhand,ashistoriansandpoliticianshavehad
ampleopportunitytonote,theprivatequarrelsandpassionsofmonarchs
hadplayeda largeandoftenunfortunateroleinEuropeanhistory.The
WaroftheSpanishSuccessionaroundtheturnoftheeighteenthcentury,
totakeoneexample,cannotbeexplainedwithoutan understandingof
thepersonalcharacterandambitionsofLouisXIVofFrance.GeorgeIll's
personalityplayedsomerolebothindrivingthecoloniststorebelandin
draggingouthostilities.
Nonetheless,thepeople, itwas commonly believed,werea worse
rulerthananykingwhenitcametoforeignpolicy.Kingsmightbeemo-
tionalandfickle, buttheyweremodelsofconstancycomparedtothe
mob.In 1830 BenjaminDisraeli roseintheHouseofCommonsto
attacktheideaofdemocracy.
Ifyouestablisha democracy,youmustinduetimereapthefruitsofa
democracy.Youwillindueseasonhavegreatimpatienceofthepublic
burdens,combinedindueseasonwithgreatincreaseofthepublicexpen-