Empires crumble – so do republics and democracies

This week came interesting (and worrisome) news from Brazil, the colossus of South America.

Its Election Court determined that Lula, the socialist woke regressive, defeated Bolsonaro, a “moderate” (conservative by Brazillian standards). Bolsonaro refused to concede. He wants the election annulled.

Three weeks ago, he led the first round by 2.2 million votes. On Sunday, he lost the runoff by 4.3 million. No Brazilian candidate had lost round one and won round two since 1989. At 80 years old, Lula just did it.

Now, we don’t think that lovers of liberty should be big partisans of the likes of Bolsonaro. But compared to the Soros-like Lula, he would be far more welcome. It is the manner of his election in this runoff, and actions taken immediately afterward, that makes us like Lula even less. But however much we disfavor them both, what we see is the massive corruption of government. It never stops, indeed, it never really slows down.

Brazil’s track record is a bad one. It is claimed that once Brazil replaced its imperial monarchy in 1889, it has been a “republic” – and that is always interpreted as a “democracy.” Of course, Brazil’s history comes close to rivaling France’s wardrobe of government systems: it is presently the “Sixth Republic” in the largest nation of South America. But it is recognized (at least by most historians and politicians) that Brazil has also “enjoyed” two periods of military dictatorship. The first was from 1937 to 1944, but the longer one (and the one still remembered) lasted from 1964 to 1985. A staggering 21 years. But the reality (seldom called out) is that Brazil has been an authoritarian nation for most of its history. For example, a revolution in 1930 ended 4 decades of ever-increasing dictatorship. But it was civilian, and the president who was a de facto dictator, was elected “democratically.”

Look at those dates: within a matter of a few years, if not a single year, as a democratic republic and not a monarchy, the “Old Republic” deteriorated into tyranny. History tells us this is not uncommon, if a bit faster process in Brazil than elsewhere. At that, Brazil fared better than its mother country Portugal. After overthrowing their monarchy, their first republic was a dictatorship (a corporatist or fascist state) from 1926 to 1974; 40 years under the same dictator (Prime Minister Antonio Salazar) in the Estado Nova (“New State”).

But Brazil is far from alone, of course. And we must know and apply the lessons we can learn from Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia.

As one correspondent stated, “When journalists, activists, and opposition figures flee their country rather than face a judicial system they believe has been weaponized against them, this is no longer ordinary politics. And when American government agencies are accused of helping shape that political environment, Americans have every right to demand a full accounting.”

Indeed, we do. The world does. But we also realize we are not going to get one.

The lessons must be applied from outside the government, the bureaucracy (deep state), and the political, economic, and social powers that be. Even when a few members of those groups are in sympathy with those tyrannized “peons” (or worse) and work with them to replace the corrupted parasitical institutions.

What are some of these lessons?

1. Democracy is not a solution to tyranny: it just replaces the tyrants with new ones, and gives them a veneer of legitimacy.
2. It is not enough to replace one group of bosses (“rulers” or “lawmakers” or “bureaucrats” or “public servants”) with another group.
3. Government power grows, in large part because it fills a vacuum caused by people refusing to take responsibility for their own actions – that is, exercising and protecting their liberty from those who lust for power.
4. Appearances, especially in politics, are always deceiving.
5. Elected dictatorships are still dictatorships, whether civilian or military.
6. Revolutions (much less uprisings, coups, and elections) seldom lead to any improvements in conditions, and often make matters worse, even when successful.

Yes, empires crumble. But so do democracies (often more quickly), and so do republics. Making people miserable, making them die sooner than they should, and more.

To put it simply, Brazil (like every nation on earth, including all fifty of our own American States and every tribal government (575 of them!) demonstrates that government is the problem. Human, mandatory government. Will we learn from our lessons?

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Source: https://freedombunker.com/2026/10/30/empires-crumble-so-do-republics-and-democracies/