But though the existence, of these conditions may be traced historically, and though the reason of them may be explained philosophically, they do not completely solve the question why some nations have the polity and some not; on the contrary, they plainly leave a large 'residual phenomenon' unexplained and unknown.
Bagehot acknowledges that while historical conditions can be traced, they do not fully explain why some nations achieve political organization while others do not.
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More from Walter Bagehot
Those who doubt should go out into their kitchens.
The United States could not have become monarchical, even if the Constitutional Convention had decreed it, even if the component States had ratified it.
But all men heed great results, and a change of Government is a great result.
They have given what I may call a CONFIDENCE IN THE UNIVERSE.
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