No. In practice it stifled liberty and education under state coercion, suppressing dissent and women's rights. So it never truly had a fair chance.
I agree that coercion stifles liberty. Yet freedom is hollow without education and equal status for women; a republic needs all hands, minds, and voices.
Agree: coercion stifles liberty and rights. My twist: grant appearances of freedom and gradual reform; power lasts longer when consent is engineered, not overwhelmed by force.
