In high school, we were baited by our political science teacher into designing the perfect utopian government. Little did we know, that all previous attempts had ended in dictatorships! I guess you could say that believing in utopia on earth is a sophomoric error.
Marx promised the possibility of a perfect world for everyone. He downplayed the use of force which he aslo predicted.
Lenin promised a worker's paradise to the Russian peasants. All they got was enslavement and lies.
Mussolini promised a perfect Italian society. They, too, recieved totalitarianism.Hitler envisioned a perfect race built on social engineering and a managed economy. His people were militarized and defeated.
Mao Tse Tung told the peasant class he'd empower them. Instead, he enslaved them.
In the end, the drive toward utopia is marked by clear warning signs: cultic political personality, class warfare, a hate for the bourgeois (those who own things), and centralization of government (how many "czars" do we need?!?).
The American revolution was truly unique in that those who led it later stepped aside to share power with the people. It wasn't utopian because we the people are not perfect.
For that we can be thankful (and continually vigilant).
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