3. Polybius.
The Aristotelian formula was taken up
by Polybius (ca. 204-122 B.C.).
For him, as he says in
his History (Book VI, 3),
there are six kinds of govern-
ment, as in
Aristotle, but they occur in a definite series.
By a natural growth
monarchy comes first and turns
into “kingship” by the
aid of art and the correction
of defects. Both are government by one man.
Monarchy
inevitably turns into tyranny against which aristocracy
is
organized. Aristocracy in turn degenerates into oli-
garchy. Revulsion against oligarchy produces democ-
racy which in its turn becomes mob-rule. All this pro-
ceeds as by a natural law.
Governments, says Polybius, are instituted after the
human race has been
destroyed by floods and famines,
“as tradition tells us has more
than once happened and
as we must believe will often happen again, all
arts
and crafts perishing at the same time.” Then the survi-
vors herd together because of their
weakness. The
strongest and most courageous rules over the others
and
thus monarchy arises. Primitive monarchy is the
rule of force. But once
order is established, notions of
goodness, justice, evil, and injustice
arise because of
the conduct of ungrateful children “and
others.” There
thus is formed an idea of duty and a benefactor
wins
gratitude and respect.
At that point the monarch is obeyed because of his
administration of justice
and then reason replaces force.
The people trust in the descendants of
their kings from
the conviction that their qualities are inherited.
But
the heirs yield to their appetites, even wearing special
clothes,
and live so that their conduct gives rise to envy
and offense, hatred and
resentment. At this point tyr-
anny takes over.
The noblest members of the commu-
nity,
however, being unable to tolerate tyranny, con-
spire to overthrow the government, succeed, and
establish an
aristocracy. Unfortunately the children of
the best may be bad. They give
in to love of money,
to lust, to pleasures of all sorts; and aristocracy
becomes
oligarchy. Oligarchy then becomes intolerable and
turns into
democracy; and, for the same reason that
kings become tyrants, aristocrats,
oligarchs, democrats
become mob-leaders.
Thus Polybius anticipates Lord Acton's dictum that
power corrupts. But to
Polybius' way of thinking the
cycle is established by natural law: it is
the course
appointed by nature in which constitutions, states, the
arts change, disappear, and finally return to the point
from which they
started. Polybius is so convinced of
this position that he says it may be
used as a basis for
prophecy. The only remedy is a mixed constitution.
He found one, he thought, in Rome, where the Consuls
were monarchs, the
Senators aristocrats, the Many
democrats. Nevertheless the course of
history was one
of constant decay.
