ABSTRACT
Rome has bequeathed the terms 'dictatorship', 'Caesarism', and 'Praetorianism', the last two of which are sometimes used as synonymous with 'military intervention'. Contemporary military intervention is the fruit of the five factors which emerged from the paroxyism of the French Revolution, between 1789 and 1810. The five factors are the doctrine of nationality, the doctrine of popular sovereignty, the insurgence of popular armies, the professionalization of the armed forces and, finally, the emancipation of imperial dependencies. There remain those very numerous cases where the military are so powerful that the military are bound to dominate politics. In homogeneous societies the political formula is elusive, legitimacy still at large. Of the three elements constituting a high level of political culture these lack the first two: consensus on the legitimate locus of sovereignty and consensus on the procedures for establishing morally valid public decisions. The third constituent of a high level of political culture is a sufficiency of civilian organization.
