*Four* Varieties of Republic
Jeff Rubard
*Il y ya* /four/ different kinds of *republican* government in
existence in the *modern* world: "federative republics", "unitary
republics", "bi-level republics", and *progressive republics*. The
United States of America, which is the oldest modern *republic* in
existence and which I have been a citizen of since *birth*, is a
*federative* republic: not a "confederation" of territorial entities
voluntarily joining in concert to act, but rather a "country of its
components" where a *federal law* rules *uniformly and strictly* and
state politics is for *that state only*. There are *actually* two
relevantly *similar* governments: that of the *People's Republic of
China*, where matters get "hashed out" indefinitely but *absolutely*,
and the *Kingdom of Spain*, where the King occupies a social role
similar to that of our President (its two "Autonomous cities", Madrid
and Barcelona, and their relationship to D.C. and *San Francisco*
might bear some thinking-upon as well).
France, a more completely *modern* country than the U.S., has a
*unified* republican system: every *departement* takes marching orders
from *Paris* (although, *pace* Bob Brandom, there *may* be something
of a faint joke in the designation "Autreparts") -- and, over the
course of *raffinements* involving a *lengthy period* of the
Republican tradition submerged by Charles-Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte --
and De Gaulle doing, well, "whatever" from the Fourth to the "Fifth"
Republic -- it has become clear that every "modernization" must be
*fully accepted* by all Frenchpersons and work its way into every
"district" of French life. Not so in our country, and although the
model of the French Revolution has inspired governments, and
liberality, *the world over* there are very definite limits to how
much other *republics* not premised on the same "uniformitarian"
principles can take over from them; notable examples of successful
French-style republics are the *Bolivarian* republics of Latin America
and the Republic of Kenya, but it is true "one size does not fit all".
An effort in the last-mentioned direction is the "bi-level republic"
format exemplified by the *Bundesrepublik Deutschland* and the
*Estados Unidos Mexicanos*: out of the "levelling" directive of the
1913 Mexican Revolution came an understanding that *modernizing* and
equalitarian bureaucratic "helps" for the masses would take the form
of a precise and uniform government bureaucracy, *strictly* subject to
executive control and having the *highest* standards of conduct. The
later experiences of Mexico, however, and the "non-transferability" of
Germany's postwar successes *and failures* suggest that the model of
the PRI and *Guetpolitik* distributed among the various German
*Partei* cannot serve as anything other than a "guideline" for "common-
carrier" government programs; the world over, I guess, tho' regional
differences suggest "the American Republic" must be careful in terms
of what it takes over from its *more serious* neighbor on the
continent.
Finally, "for the enthusiasts": There is a final model of republican
government, for countries of "antient" history and an *ultimate* drive
towards modernity: the "progressive republic" exemplified by Italy,
with a *coupure* for the moralizing of Mussolini (who only "made the
trains run on time" as an official of the PSI, and then perhaps rather
pointedly *did not do so*); when there is nowhere to go but
*Vorwaerts*, people "all get in tune" without the dressing room, or
the corners of one's mind, getting "hazy"; and thusly, an *ultima
ratio* of personal codes of conduct is created which is
"unimpeachable" but non-transferable; the Turkish and Vietnamese
republics are of this kind, and the Republic of Britain would be as
well, out of that country's long and not especially difficult
experience with Futurism. (However, that ain't here.)
And what's more, a "conceit ruiner": there is one Unidentified
Government, the I-know-not-what of the Russian Federation: perhaps
they will *check* what kind of government they have for you, *and like
that*.