Given such countless precedents, it may be surprising that the rhetoric of sacrifice under the banner of austerity has proven so ineffective in Europe’s current crisis. Some observers blame declining levels of commitment to anything that transcends the individual, including the political system.
鉴于以上难以计数的先例，打着紧缩旗号让人做出牺牲的豪言壮语在欧洲目前危机中收效甚微或许有些出人意料。有些观察家把这种责任感的丧失归咎于凌驾于个人之上的任何因素，其中也包括政治制度。