Friday, July 13, 2007

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Karl Martino points us to this fascinating 1946 classroom film on "Despotism," which you can download or view online at the Internet Archive . This 10-minute film from Encyclopedia Britannica Films features Dr. Harold D. Lasswell of Yale, who was a professor of law and of political science at the school while both our current and our most recent presidents were students there. The film, produced in the immediate aftermath of World War II, presents a spectrum from democracy to despotism. And it begins with this cautionary note: Avoid the comfortable idea that the mere form of government can of itself safeguard a nation against despotism. ... When a competent observer looks for signs of despotism in a community, he looks beyond fine words and noble phrases. That last is shown against a backdrop of patriotic Americans reciting the (original) Pledge of Allegiance, which fades into the silhouette of a lynching. That's the implicit message of this film, It Can Happen Here. We are introduced to a man "who makes it his business to study these things" -- presumably writing for publication r. Lasswell. The professor offers two "yardsticks" for measuring the existence of despotism or democracy in a given community or nation. The Respect Scale ranges from shared to restricted, and measures "how many citizens get an even break." The Power Scale ranges from shared to concentrated. "The test of despotic power is that it can disregard the will of the people," the professor says.

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