Governments​—Why Necessary?

WHEREVER you may be on this globe you have something in common with all mankind​—you are subject to a government. You may or may not agree with your government’s policies, but you will probably admit that government is necessary.

But why? Why have governments been an essential part of man’s way of life for thousands of years? What different kinds of government are there? Of what benefit are they to you as an individual​—even when you might disagree with them?

Especially when man originally decided to live in cities, some form of political rule became necessary. City life had to be governed for the benefit of all. In fact, our word “politics” is derived from the Greek word for “city,” polis, and the adjective politikos, “of a citizen.” Of course, the need for some form of government was recognized by societies older than the ancient Greek city-states. Thousands of years ago, Sumer, Egypt, Israel, and Babylon were organized under various forms of rulership.​—Exodus 18:13-27.

However, it is perhaps in ancient Greece, often called the cradle of democracy, that political philosophy began to be more clearly expressed and new ideas presented. Philosophers, such as Plato and Aristotle, argued the virtues of different political systems. Aristotle’s viewpoint was that politics is the science of collective happiness. He believed that the function of the state is to organize a society for the greatest happiness of the greatest number. That basic idea is evident to some degree in most governments inasmuch as they provide essential facilities for the benefit of all citizens: roads, education, sewerage systems, police, and judiciary​—to name just a few.

For thousands of years man has experimented with just about every conceivable form of government and political philosophy​—from monarchies (now mainly replaced by republics) to different types of democracy, (ostensibly, rule by the people), and a variety of oligarchies and dictatorships. (For a definition of terms, see box on page 4.) Since 1917 we have seen the rise of communism, fascism, and national socialism (the Nazi party in Germany).

“The Age of Competing Ideologies”

Twentieth-century experience shows that the art of governing is being severely tested. As Professor Burns wrote in his book Ideas in Conflict: “In all probability, historians of the future will look back upon the twentieth century as one of the most crucial in the records of mankind. They will doubtless invent neat characterizations for it, calling it perhaps the Age of World Conflict, the Age of Revolution and Counter-revolution, the Age of Competing Ideologies, or, more simply, the Age of Agony.”

But it must be admitted that no one system has produced a government that satisfies every citizen. Is that alone sufficient to say that the political systems have failed? Not necessarily. Many people have such a selfish or narrow motivation that only their own particular philosophy would ever satisfy them. And that, then, might displease the majority. So how can we really test to see if any form of government or political philosophy is the real and complete answer to mankind’s needs?

Jesus Christ laid down a rule that we can also apply to politics: “Every good tree produces fine fruit, but every rotten tree produces worthless fruit . . . Really, then, by their fruits you will recognize those men.” (Matthew 7:17-20) Let us apply that rule to the political systems of our 20th century with a view to tracing the most beneficial form of rulership for all mankind.

[Box on page 4]

Politics​—Its Different Forms

The following definitions are taken from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language and Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary (1981 editions).

Anarchy: Absence of any form of political authority; a Utopian society made up of individuals who have no government and who enjoy complete freedom.

Aristocracy: Government by the nobility or by a privileged minority or upper class.

Autocracy: Government by one person having unlimited power; despotism.

Capitalism: (From “capital,” any form of material wealth) An economic system characterized by freedom of competition in the market, without state control, with increasing concentration of private and corporate ownership of production and distribution means.

Communism: A social system characterized by the absence of classes and by common ownership of the means of production and subsistence.

Democracy: Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives.

Fascism: A system of government that advocates or exercises a dictatorship, typically through the merging of state and business leadership, together with an ideology of belligerent nationalism.

Feudalism: A political and economic system based on land held by a vassal on condition of homage and service to a lord.

Monarchy: Government by a monarch or sovereign, such as a king or an emperor.

Nazism: National Socialism. The policy of state control of the economy, racist nationalism, and national expansion as personified in Hitler’s National Socialism in Germany (1933-45).

Oligarchy: Government by the few, especially by a small faction of persons or families.

Plutocracy: Government by the wealthy.

Republic: A government having a chief of state who is not a monarch and who in modern times is usually a president.

Socialism: A social system in which the producers possess both political power and the means of producing and distributing goods. In Marxist-Leninist theory, socialism is the material base for communism and the intermediate stage between capitalism and communism.

Theocracy: Government by a god regarded as the ruling power or by priests or officials claiming divine sanction.

Totalitarianism: (a) Centralized control by an autocratic authority; (b) the political concept that the citizen should be totally subject to an absolute state authority.

Politics​—Its World War I Fruitage

Almost 2,000 years ago Jesus Christ delivered his famous Sermon on the Mount in which he gave the basic principles for Christian conduct. Instead of hatred, he taught love; instead of vengeance, forgiveness and nonviolence. (Matthew, chapters 5 to 7) In the course of history Christendom has claimed to follow his example. But what does a closer look at 20th-century politics reveal? Have the governments of Christendom really applied Christianity? Or have they, consciously or unconsciously, followed the cynical principles that Niccolò Machiavelli observed in his study of human history? In his book The Prince, he expounded the methods that successful statesmen had used for centuries. His principal maxims are listed on page 7.

AS THE world moved into the 20th century the future seemed to be relatively stable. The major European powers had established counterbalancing alliances that theoretically should have guaranteed peace. But as historian R. R. Palmer wrote in A History of the Modern World, “Europeans believed themselves to be heading for a kind of high plateau, full of a benign progress and more abundant civilization, in which the benefits of modern science and invention would be more widely diffused. . . . Instead, Europe stumbled in 1914 into disaster.”

Professor A. J. P. Taylor even states: “It is difficult, in fact, to discover any cause of hostility between the European Great Powers in the early summer of 1914.” Yet the European politicians ‘stumbled into the disaster of the Great War’ of 1914-18. Why? According to the same professor, the cause was “the system of alliances [the Germany/​Austria-Hungary/​Italy Triple Alliance versus the France/​Russia/​Britain Triple Entente] . . . They were supposed to make for peace, they made for war.”

Jesus taught, “Whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other also to him” and, “Continue to love your enemies.” (Matthew 5:39, 44) Machiavelli indicated that the ‘beastly method of force was frequently necessary’ in order for a ruler to achieve his aims. He wrote: “It is necessary for a prince wishing to hold his own to know how to do wrong, and to make use of it or not according to necessity”! According to him, Christian principles would have to be sacrificed for the sake of expediency.

When Europe’s Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox political rulers​—kings, emperors, presidents, and prime ministers—​declared war in 1914, whose teachings were they consciously or unconsciously following? Those of their professed Master Jesus Christ? Or the pragmatic counsel of Machiavelli?

“The war to end wars” and the war “to make the world safe for democracy” were some of the slogans used to justify the wholesale slaughter into which the political leaders herded the young manhood of 1914. And what kind of war was it? What was the price paid​—not by the politicians—​but by the people?

Results of World War I

Perhaps the Battle of the Somme in northern France epitomizes the senseless human sacrifice that took place in the Great War. Professor Palmer states: “The Battle of the Somme, lasting from July to October [1916], cost the Germans about 500,000 men, the British 400,000 and the French 200,000.” Total cost​—1,100,000 men! The result? “Nothing of any value had been gained,” states historian Palmer. But much had been lost​—1,100,000 fathers, husbands, and sons who left behind millions of grieving parents, wives, and orphans. This was the death-dealing crop of just one battle! The basic cause? Divisive politics that exploited nationalism and patriotism to supply the cannon fodder for a war that should never have been.

And what was the total price paid by the people (but seldom the rulers) of the combatant nations? One source states: “By November 11, 1918 . . . eight million soldiers lay dead, twenty million more were wounded, diseased, mutilated, or spitting blood from the gas attacks.” And what about the civilian casualties? “Twenty-two million civilians had been killed or wounded, and the survivors were living in villages blasted to splinters and rubble.”

In view of all this slaughter, how appropriate the Bible’s symbol is for Satan’s entire worldwide political organization down through history​—“a wild beast.”a (Revelation 13:1, 2) On occasion some wild beasts kill for the sake of killing. Others even kill their own offspring.

Yet hopes ran high when World War I ended in an armistice in November of 1918. As writer Charles L. Mee expressed it in his book The End of Order, Versailles 1919: “World War I had been a tragedy on a dreadful scale. Sixty-five million men were mobilized​—more by many millions than had ever been brought to war before—​to fight a war, they had been told, of justice and honor, of national pride and of great ideals, to wage a war that would end all war, to establish an entirely new order of peace and equity in the world.”

Did the political leaders of the world learn a lesson from this dreadful bloodbath? Did the so-called Christian nations come any nearer to practicing the love that Christ taught? No, for events since 1918 certainly have belied the platitudes and slogans that were cleverly used by politicians, clergy, and militarists.

Writer Mee’s comment is pertinent: “The diplomats gathered [at the Paris Peace Conference]​—and, far from restoring order to the world, they took the chaos of the Great War, and, through vengefulness and inadvertence, impotence and design, they sealed it as the permanent condition of our century.” The fact that chaos was sealed as a permanent condition of 20th-century living was confirmed by later events.

[Footnotes]

[Box on page 7]

In his book The Prince Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527), a skilled statesman and writer, expressed the following maxims on how to achieve success as a political ruler.

(1) “It is much safer to be feared than loved . . . Men have less scruple [objection] in offending one who is beloved than one who is feared.

(2) “Our experience has been that those princes who have done great things have held good faith of little account.

(3) “You must know there are two ways of contesting, the one by the law, the other by force; the first method is proper to men, the second to beasts; but because the first is frequently not sufficient, it is necessary to have recourse to the second.

(4) “Therefore it is unnecessary for a prince to have all the good qualities I have enumerated, but it is very necessary to appear to have them.”​—Italics ours.

(5) A prince should “appear to him who sees and hears him altogether merciful, faithful, humane, upright, and religious. There is nothing more necessary to appear to have than this last quality, inasmuch as men judge generally more by the eye than by the hand . . . Every one sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are.”

(6) “A prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything else for his study, than war and its rules and discipline, for this is the sole art that belongs to him who rules.

(7) “It is necessary for a prince wishing to hold his own to know how to do wrong, and to make use of it or not according to necessity.”

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The massive slaughter in World War I highlights the folly of the politicians

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National Archives

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Machiavelli based his political maxims on previous history

Have Political Messiahs Brought Peace?

FORMER U.S. President Woodrow Wilson was one of the leaders of the peace negotiations after World War I. He was seen by some as “the selfless champion of a new world order based on justice and a right regard for the aspirations of all people.” His answer to the problems of world peace was the League of Nations. He had high hopes for his pet project.

One account states: “At one point he amazed [British Prime Minister] Lloyd George and [French Premier] Clemenceau by explaining how the league would establish a brotherhood of man where Christianity had not been able to do so.” Why had Christ Jesus not “succeeded”? Wilson answered: “He taught the ideal without devising any practical means of attaining it. That is the reason why I am proposing a practical scheme to carry out His aims.”

Wilson was proclaimed by the French press as the “High Priest of the Ideal, Leaguer of the Nations, Benefactor of Humanity, Shepherd of Victory and Legislator of Peace.” Once again the people were being led to put all their hope and trust in politicians and their schemes for bringing about a “new world order.” Did the League of Nations bring lasting peace? Or did it contribute to an era of chaos?

Italy’s Messiah

Soon after the inauguration of the League more political messiahs rose up and caused suffering for millions. In 1922 Benito Mussolini, an avid reader of Machiavelli, came to power in Italy. His fascism was acclaimed as “the true religion.” Yet it brought in an era of “violence, and of fraud and chicanery in elections” states historian Palmer. Professor Gentile, a prominent Italian philosopher of fascism, “praised the use of violence, even the blackjack violence of the Fascists, when employed in the interest of the state.” He stated that such violence is “willed by God, and by all men who believe in God, . . . and in the law which God certainly wills for the world.”

Was this a manifestation of Christ’s code of conduct or of Machiavelli’s maxims? Which of them said, “It is much safer to be feared than loved”? Certainly not Jesus Christ! In contrast he taught: “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.”​—John 13:35.

In 1935, with the blessing of the Catholic Church, Fascist Italy attacked and defeated Ethiopia. What did Wilson’s messianic League do about that? “The League of Nations again failed . . . to provide machinery for disciplinary action against a wayward Great Power.”​—A History of the Modern World, by R. R. Palmer.

An Era of Terror

By 1933 Adolf Hitler, a formerly obscure Austrian Catholic, had become the chancellor of Germany. He did not wait long to express his scorn for the League of Nations and the Treaty of Versailles, the terms of which he felt had so humiliated Germany in 1919. He withdrew Germany from the League, renounced the restrictions of the treaty, and began to rebuild the German armed forces.

In his political manifesto, Mein Kampf (My Struggle), Hitler explained why he later resorted to spiritual terror based on lies and slander: “This is a tactic based on precise calculation of all human weakness, and its result will lead to success with almost mathematical certainty . . . I achieved an equal understanding of the importance of physical terror toward the individual and the masses.”

Hitler established the Gestapo which, along with the SS, became an agency of terror. By ruthlessly persecuting minorities, he achieved the respectful fear of the majority without provoking their hatred. This not-so-silent majority hailed Hitler as their führer. Regardless of their religious background, most condoned or complied. Machiavelli’s maxims again became a political reality.

From 1936 onward Hitler followed a policy of annexation and invasion that led to the occupation of the Rhineland, Danzig, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. All of this was the prelude to a much greater chaos to come.

“They Must Be Killed Like Swine!”

In 1936 Fascist General Franco spearheaded a rebellion against the leftist republican government in Madrid. The uprising in Spain was blessed by the Catholic Church as if it were a holy crusade. In time, according to writer C. L. Sulzberger, Hitler and Mussolini sent 85,000 troops to support Franco’s army. German planes bombed Spanish cities.

Antonio Bahamonde, a top aide to one of Franco’s generals, commenting on the bloodshed and mass killing of prisoners, said that Franco’s generals “knew very well that only by the force of terror . . . would they be able to dominate the people . . . It is terror in the guise of order, and the order is the order of the cemetery.” Another general put it bluntly: “The common people are swine. They must be killed like swine!” (Miracle of November, Madrid’s Epic Stand 1936, by Dan Kurzman) These men were officers of a conquering army that was largely Catholic. In the name of political expediency, they approved murder.

As in all wars, atrocities were committed by both sides. Once again the fruitage of hate-inspiring politics, backed by religion, came to the surface. The people paid the price. The Spanish Civil War, which lasted for three years, resulted in the death of more than a half million people. Spain’s war became a curtain raiser for a much greater tragedy​—World War II.

World War II and More Cataclysms

Hitler’s invasion of Poland in September 1939 triggered the declarations of war by Britain and France against Germany. Humankind found itself in yet another convulsion of mass destruction and misery. Politics, backed by big business, had once again betrayed the common man.

Why was big business involved? In politics money means power and big business has the money. Without it Hitler might never have become chancellor of Germany. William Shirer wrote in The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: “As the Twenties neared their end, money started to flow into the Nazi Party from a few of the big Bavarian and Rhineland industrialists who were attracted by Hitler’s opposition to the Marxists and the trade unions.”

The second world war produced yet another ghastly harvest of man’s inhumanity to man. How many died in the six years of politically motivated slaughter? Some estimates say 55 million people. More millions were “left crippled, blind, mutilated, homeless, orphaned, and impoverished.” (The People’s Chronology, by James Trager) The political “wild beast” had struck again!

To establish permanent peace on earth, the politicians of the leading world powers in 1945 came up with a revamped League, the United Nations organization. Yet, since that date, there have been at least 62 wars, civil wars, revolutions, and purges around the world that have resulted in millions of deaths and casualties​—all in the name of political ideological differences.

Professor Palmer aptly wrote: “The human world has been in the grip of . . . a cataclysm since 1914. The First World War, the post-war troubles, the Russian, Chinese, Turkish, and other revolutions, the great depression, the parade of the dictators, the Second World War, the second crop of revolutionary changes and post-war troubles, are all part of the same process of readjustment, . . . which is not yet over, and for which ‘cataclysm’ is not too strong a word.”

Now, in 1985, the world appears to be divided mainly into two great opposing political camps. Within those alignments, there is still a great variety of political and social systems, ranging from military dictatorships to democratic regimes. Clashing ideologies threaten to provoke a world nuclear holocaust, a cataclysm that the majority of mankind does not want.

Even though there may be sincere politicians who work for the good of mankind, yet it has to be admitted that divisive politics has brought us to this brink of extinction. Is there any way out? Is there any government or form of rulership that can really unite the human family in genuine peace and mutual respect?

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President Wilson proposed the League of Nations as “a practical scheme to carry out [Christ’s] aims”

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National Archives

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Benito Mussolini’s fascism employed violence in the interests of the State

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National Archives

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Adolf Hitler used terror to maintain his power

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National Archives

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Generalissimo Franco accepted support from Hitler and Mussolini

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National Archives

The Best Government​—Soon!

WHERE there is no government there is anarchy. This has been illustrated time and again when the forces of law and order have gone on strike or been unable to function. The result? A lawless minority has taken advantage of the situation to loot and pillage. This points up the fact that man cannot live in an orderly society unless there is government to regulate law and order for the benefit of all.

But others will answer that where there is government there is often a different kind of looting​—politicians and big business lining their pockets on the basis of their influence. Bribery, graft, and corruption are common practices in politics. Lucrative government contracts are farmed out to favored business “friends.” As a consequence, many people have become disillusioned by politics and politicians, and do not even bother to vote. Why? One reason is that often governments have not guaranteed justice and equity for all.

Why is it that often, in spite of high-sounding ideals and humanitarian manifestos, politics has been so divisive and destructive of human life?

Hidden Influence Behind Politics

To answer this question we must go back in history over 1,950 years to a mountain in Palestine. There an unusual conversation took place that is the key to understanding the question of human rulership. Jesus Christ was about to begin his public ministry. Satan, God’s archrival for universal rulership, took the opportunity to test Jesus in an effort to break his integrity. The account tells us that Satan “showed [Jesus] all the kingdoms of the world [in a vision] and their glory, and he said to him: ‘All these things I will give you if you fall down and do an act of worship to me.’”​—Matthew 4:8, 9.

To mankind’s everlasting blessing, Jesus rejected the offer. But what does this vital encounter tell us about Satan and the world system, “all the kingdoms of the world”? That Satan is the invisible “ruler of this world.” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11) Thus the apostle John could write: “We know that we are children of God and that all the rest of the world around us is under Satan’s power and control.”​—1 John 5:19, The Living Bible.

Therefore it is Satan’s perverse spirit that permeates the world’s political system. He is the true source of the principles that Machiavelli compiled. Satan is “the spirit now at work among God’s rebel subjects” for he is “the commander of the spiritual powers of the air.”​—Ephesians 2:2, The New English Bible.

Some may find it hard to accept that there is an evil, invisible spiritual power motivating the political rulers of the world. Yet this is a keystone to understanding the overall picture that the Bible presents of a clash over universal sovereignty. (Revelation 12:7-9) Satan has used politics to divide mankind and divert man’s attention away from the true hope for restored righteous rulership, namely, God’s Kingdom government by Christ.​—Matthew 4:23; 9:35.

How successful Satan has been! By his exploitation of divisive politics and nationalism he has used men who “exalted the state as divine . . . or identified it with the march of God in history.” For some, the “worship of the state as the personification of the spirit of the nation was essential for realization of the national destiny.” (Ideas in Conflict, Edward Burns) Nazi Germany was a classic example. “Nothing was sponsored so much as worship of Nazism and its Führer,” states Professor Palmer. Even now politicians are using this same tool to advance their ambitions, but to mankind’s detriment. Because of political self-interest, possible extinction stares us in the face.

What could pull man back from the brink of nuclear disaster? Is there any form of government that could unite mankind? What would be necessary to make all people loyal to one righteous government?

Peace and Unity​—How?

Historian Edward Burns wrote: “The control and abatement of nationalism, and the substitution for it of an effective world organization, is undoubtedly one of the most critical problems of modern times.” (Italics ours.) Other minds have groped to find an answer to man’s quest for unity. The Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana “saw no way of abolishing war except by the creation of a universal government capable of imposing its will upon all of the states of the earth. No League of Nations or United Nations would suffice.”​—Italics ours.

Why have the politicians not been able to achieve this ideal of one universal government? One reason is that parochial nationalism stands in the way. As one historian states: “To control or eliminate it by any means short of education in human brotherhood will be difficult so long as we have a world increasingly beset with hatreds and fears.” (Italics ours.) Author H. G. Wells reasoned: “It is necessary that the common mind of the race should be possessed of that idea of human unity, and that the idea of mankind as one family should be a matter of universal instruction and understanding.”​—Italics ours.

Is such an educational program feasible? Not only is it feasible; it is a reality! Where? Among several million Jehovah’s Witnesses in 203 nations and lands. These already have experienced a change in heart and mind. In turn, Jehovah’s Witnesses are also affecting over four million associates. What changes have they brought about? A supranational spirit has been engendered among them based on Christian love. They have abandoned the nationalism that is “associated with racism, parochialism, bigotry, intolerance, persecution, and fanaticism.”​—Ideas in Conflict, page 502.

The Bible gave foregleams of this great educational work for this generation. Jehovah gave assurance through his prophet Isaiah that “all your sons will be persons taught by Jehovah, and the peace of your sons will be abundant.” (Isaiah 54:13) This will be continued until the whole earth is “filled with the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters are covering the very sea.”​—Isaiah 11:9.

Jesus also stated as part of the sign of the last days for this political, commercial, religious system: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14) This explains the intensive house-to-house educational campaign that Jehovah’s Witnesses are carrying out in this 20th century. They are announcing the Kingdom government that will soon take action from the heavens to “crush and put an end to all these [present political] kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite.”​—Daniel 2:44.

What Does the Near Future Hold?

However, before that theocratic Kingdom government by Christ can take control of the whole earth, certain events must take place, in accordance with Bible prophecy. The book of Revelation sets the characters. These are:

“A woman . . . ‘Babylon the Great, the mother of the harlots.’” (Revelation 17:3-5) She represents the world empire of false religion that influences many “peoples and crowds and nations and tongues.”​—Revelation 17:15.

“A scarlet-colored wild beast” that carries the woman on its back. This beast, an image of the greater “wild beast” mentioned previously in the Revelation given to John, symbolizes the international organization that brings together into one arena representatives of nearly all the political systems of this world. Originally it was the League of Nations. Now it is the United Nations. In effect it is a conspiracy against God’s Kingdom. It aims to do what only God’s Kingdom can do​—establish permanent peace.​—Revelation 13:1, 2, 15; 17:3, 8; 20:4.

Now what events must take place shortly? Revelation assures us that the “scarlet-colored wild beast” and its wielders of political power “will hate the harlot and will make her devastated and . . . will completely burn her with fire.” (Revelation 17:16) What does this graphic language forebode? That political elements, represented in the United Nations, will turn against the world empire of false religion to destroy it. But this means they will also eventually turn against the true representatives of God’s Kingdom by Christ, namely, Jehovah’s Witnesses.a What will be the result?

That will provoke a reaction from the heavens, from ‘the one seated on a white horse who judges and carries on war in righteousness,’ that is, “The Word of God,” Christ Jesus. (Revelation 19:11-16) Thus the nations will find themselves facing God’s war of Armageddon. (Revelation 16:16) This righteous war against Satan and his “world” will mark the end of all political systems. It will be followed by the restoration of theocratic rule over all the earth. The earth will be transformed into a paradise state and populated by the meek who do God’s will. Destructive politics will have ceased from the earth.​—Psalm 2:2, 9; 37:29.

In view of the obvious failure of all political systems to satisfy mankind’s deepest needs, should you not look to the government that can satisfy all mankind? In view of the urgency of the times in which we live, we invite you to contact Jehovah’s Witnesses in your area in order to examine more carefully the evidence that indicates that God’s Kingdom government is near.​—Luke 21:25-33.

[Footnotes]

[Blurb on page 12]

Because of political self-interest, possible extinction stares us in the face

[Blurb on page 13]

“The idea of mankind as one family should be a matter of universal instruction and understanding.”​—H. G. Wells