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Originally Posted by gmw
I'm also inclined to think that the world changed most slowly for the aristocracy - even after the plebeians started cutting their heads off.
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I think it persisted through the Great War and only ended with the end of the Romanov, Hohenzollern and Hapsburg dynasties, and Orczy herself was born under the Hapsburg dynasty. An aside: surely it was poor form to continue to call herself "baroness" once she became British? That said, I'm sure it sold books.
I've also been thinking about the notion of leadership, as I thought the League had unpleasant undertones of a Fascist organization, or perhaps a religious cult, as I read it. In Dazrin's interesting link, the distinction is made between loyalty to a person and loyalty because of rank, with the implication that the first is better. I'm not so sure; we know where blind obedience to a charismatic leader can end up. As for military hierarchy, obeying orders is what soldiers do of necessity, but at least it doesn't involve giving over their minds. They can think what they like, so long as they do as they're told.