Heterogeneity of stocks may lead to faction – at any rate until they have had time to assimilate. A city cannot be constituted from any chance collection of people, or in any chance period of time. Most of the cities which have admitted settlers, either at the time of their foundation or later, have been troubled by faction. For example, the Achaeans joined with settlers from Troezen in founding Sybaris, but expelled them when their own numbers increased; and this involved their city in a curse. At Thurii the Sybarites quarreled with the other settlers who had joined them in its colonization; they demanded special privileges, on the ground that they were the owners of the territory, and were driven out of the colony. At Byzantium the later settlers were detected in a conspiracy against the original colonists, and were expelled by force; and a similar expulsion befell the exiles from Chios who were admitted to Antissa by the original colonists. At Zancle, on the other hand, the original colonists were themselves expelled by the Samians whom they admitted. At Apollonia, on the Black Sea, factional conflict was caused by the introduction of new settlers; at Syracuse the conferring of civic rights on aliens and mercenaries, at the end of the period of the tyrants, led to sedition and civil war; and at Amphipolis the original citizens, after admitting Chalcidian colonists, were nearly all expelled by the colonists they had admitted. (1303A13)
A democratic city-state cannot thrive with too many unassimilated foreigners. It will always lead to fighting which tyrants use to pit the people against themselves
The guard of a [legitimate] king is composed of citizens: that of a tyrant is composed of foreigners. (1310B31)
It is a habit of tyrants never to like anyone who has a spirit of dignity and independence. The tyrant claims a monopoly of such qualities for himself; he feels that anybody who asserts a rival dignity, or acts with independence, is threatening his own superiority and the despotic power of his tyranny; he hates him accordingly as a subverter of his own authority. It is also a habit of tyrants to prefer the company of aliens to that of citizens at table and in society; citizens, they feel, are enemies, but aliens will offer no opposition.” (1313B29)
Tyrants favor foreigners in a foreign land because they have to be loyal to said tyrant. If the people rise up due to their actions those foreigners would be targeted also, so it's in their interest to be loyal to the tyrant that brought them in and not to the people in the nation they reside in. This is why the Byzantine emperors used Scandinavian warriors for their elite guard.
Aristotle observes that foreigners were also a favorite political weapon not only of tyrants but also of egalitarian extremists. He writes:
“At Amphipolis someone by the name of Cleotimus introduced Chalcidian settlers, and incited them after their settlement to make an attack on the rich” (1305B39).
Aristotle says that naturalization of foreigners played a key role in founding the more extreme form of democracy found in Athens. He writes of Cleisthenes, who was said to have founded the democracy of that city:
“after the expulsion of the tyrants he enrolled in the tribes a number of resident aliens, both foreigners and slaves” (1275B34).[1]
Aristotle says elsewhere that democrats consolidate their regime by efforts to mix the citizenry (breaking down old identities) and stoking individualism:
Other measures which are also useful in constructing this last and most extreme type of democracy are measures like those introduced by Cleisthenes at Athens,
when he sought to advance the cause of democracy, or those which were taken by the founders of popular government at Cyrene. A number of new tribes and clans should be instituted by the side of the old; private cults should be reduced in number and conducted at common centers; and every contrivance should be employed to make all the citizens mix, as much as they possibly can, and to break down their old loyalties. All the measures adopted by tyrants may equally be regarded as congenial to democracy. We may cite as examples the license allowed to slaves (which, up to a point, may be advantageous as well as congenial), the license permitted to women and children, and the policy of conniving at the practice of “living as you like.” There is much to assist a constitution of this sort, for most people find more pleasure in living without discipline than they find in a life of temperance. (1319B19)
The tyrant will seek to destroy your identity. Force you to mix with the foreigners forced upon you.
Phila is the concept of brotherly love. Without it a democracy cannot function. If the group doesn't have that unity under one banner (such as a nation or ethnic group) then theyre just individuals divided, conquered, and pitted against one another in a way that benefits the tyrant. A homogeneous society has phila naturally. The only reason the democratic republic of the United States lasted this long was because we developed phila through national pride. When you break that down and act like celebrating your nation is something to be ashamed of, then wtf are we. You dont have to agree with the government, tyrants come and go, but a nation is a common group who have phila. Without it we're nothing. You cant just implant people into the group, not expect them to assimilate, and just assume it'll work out. If membership to the group is handed out left and right with no standards then the identity of the group itself ceases to exist.
When times are good, people are quiet. When times are bad factions arise with nothing holding them together in common to prevent conflict against one another. You'll naturally band together with those similar to you to survive.
In short:
Diversity is a weakness. Always has been, always will be.
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[–] Schreiber 0 points 5 points 5 points (+5|-0) ago (edited ago)
Doesn't work when some of the "plebs" would rather stay homeless, be thugs, leech from you, and commit random violence.
They will side with the authoritarian left rulers as long as the rulers make sure that your income is stolen from you and be redistributed.
[–] Cantilever ago
You know not the nature of man, son