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About this quote

What does it mean?
It notes that democracies struggle both to start wars and to end them due to public opinion.
In plain terms
Democratic people find it hard to begin conflicts and also hard to stop them.
What can you take from it?
Public consensus complicates war decisions.

Where it applies

  • international relations
  • political strategy
  • historical study

Putting it to work

  • understanding war dynamics
  • analyzing policy hurdles

Questions to consider

  • Why is ending war hard for democracies?
  • How does public opinion affect war?

Another view

Democracies have ended wars quickly when public will aligns.

More from Alexis de Tocqueville

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  3. There are at the present time two great nations in the world-I allude to the Russians and the Americans- All other nations seem to have nearly reached their na…

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