"Since the Renaissance, however, bankers have shifted their political support to democracies. This did not reflect egalitarian or liberal political convictions as such, but rather a desire for better security for their loans. As James Steuart explained in 1767, royal borrowings remained private affairs rather than truly public debts. For a sovereign’s debts to become binding upon the entire nation, elected representatives had to enact the taxes to pay their interest charges."
Debt Slavery – Why It Destroyed Rome, Why It Will Destroy Us Unless It’s Stopped, by Michael Hudson, Counter-Punch]