Eighteenth-century English parties’ shared aristocratic pact blunted genuine conflict

Evidence

The strange fact was that two parties, which between themselves completely dominated the area of political struggle, nevertheless did not fight each other radically—because they had a silent mutual pact against something which was not a political party at all. Historians have connected the parliamentary corruptibility of that period with this strange limitation of the fight. Nobody thought too badly of a party’s selling its conviction in favor of the opposing party because the conviction of that opposing party had a rather broad, even though hidden common basis, and the fight lay elsewhere. The ease of corruption showed that here the restriction of the antagonism through a common feature did not make the conflict more fundamental and objective. On the contrary, it blurred it and contaminated its meaning as necessarily determined by objective circumstances. — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 309

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Eighteenth-century English ruling power operated as a parasitical racket — Cedric J. Robinson, Black Marxism_ The Making of the Black…, 1972; Eighteenth-century English state power functioned as aristocratic parasitism — Cedric J. Robinson, Black Marxism_ The Making of the Black…, 1972; Even power relationships involve reciprocal influence between parties — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 77 (+2 more)

Related

• Eighteenth-century English ruling power operated as a parasitical racket (similarity 0.83)
• Eighteenth-century English state power functioned as aristocratic parasitism (similarity 0.79)

Broader Connections

• Eighteenth-century English ruling power operated as a parasitical racket #expands (0.80) — Cedric J. Robinson, Black Marxism_ The Making of the Black…, 1972
• Eighteenth-century English state power functioned as aristocratic parasitism #expands (0.70) — Cedric J. Robinson, Black Marxism_ The Making of the Black…, 1972
• Even power relationships involve reciprocal influence between parties #complicates (0.60) — Georg Simmel, on individuality and social forms_…, 77