Controlling the State: Constitutionalism from Ancient Athens to TodayHarvard University Press, 2009 M06 30 - 407 pages This book examines the development of the theory and practice of constitutionalism, defined as a political system in which the coercive power of the state is controlled through a pluralistic distribution of political power. It explores the main venues of constitutional practice in ancient Athens, Republican Rome, Renaissance Venice, the Dutch Republic, seventeenth-century England, and eighteenth-century America. From its beginning in Polybius' interpretation of the classical concept of mixed government, the author traces the theory of constitutionalism through its late medieval appearance in the Conciliar Movement of church reform and in the Huguenot defense of minority rights. After noting its suppression with the emergence of the nation-state and the Bodinian doctrine of sovereignty, the author describes how constitutionalism was revived in the English conflict between king and Parliament in the early Stuart era, and how it has developed since then into the modern concept of constitutional democracy. |
Contents
| 1 | |
1 The Doctrine of Sovereignty | 19 |
2 Athenian Democracy | 60 |
3 The Roman Republic | 86 |
4 Countervailance Theory in Medieval Law Catholic Ecclesiology and Huguenot Political Theory | 116 |
5 The Republic of Venice | 129 |
6 The Dutch Republic | 166 |
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Controlling the State: Constitutionalism from Ancient Athens to Today Scott Gordon No preview available - 2002 |
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American ancient aristocracy Aristotle Assembly Athenian Athens authority Bagehot Bodin Britain British Cambridge checks and balances church citizenry citizens civic civil colonial concept constitutionalism construed Contarini contends Council countervailance model courts democracy democratic Dicey doctrine of sovereignty dominant Dutch political Dutch Republic early elected England English constitution entity ernment established Europe exercise Federalist governmental historians Holland House of Commons House of Orange important independent institutions James Jean Bodin judicial king legislative liberty literature Lords Madison ment mixed government modern monarch Montesquieu Netherlands notion Parliament pluralist political organization political power political system political theory political thought Polybius popular sovereignty prince principle provinces public policy reforms regarded religious republican Revolution role Roman Roman Republic Rome Rowen rule Senate separation of powers seventeenth century significant social sovereign stadholder structure Stuart system of government towns United Provinces University Press Venetian Venice William writes
Popular passages
Page 9 - Power" (Macht) is the probability that one actor within a social relationship will be in a position to carry out his own will despite resistance, regardless of the basis on which this probability rests.
Page iv - In all governments, there is a perpetual intestine struggle, open or secret, between AUTHORITY and LIBERTY; and neither of them can ever absolutely prevail in the contest. A great sacrifice of liberty must necessarily be made in every government; yet even the authority, which confines liberty, can never, and perhaps ought never, in any constitution, to become quite entire and uncontrollable.
Page 10 - Power corresponds to the human ability not just to act but to act in concert. Power is never the property of an individual; it belongs to a group and remains in existence only so long as the group keeps together. When we say of somebody that he is 'in power' we actually refer to his being empowered by a certain number of people to act in their name.